The Vegas Golden Knights beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in a shootout on Thursday at T-Mobile Arena, rallying from a three-goal deficit behind Jack Eichel’s goal and assist in regulation. Trevor Connelly scored the deciding shootout goal to push Vegas to 4-1-0 on the season.
Toronto built a 3-0 lead in the first period before the Golden Knights clawed back with two goals in the second, including Eichel’s tying wrist shot at 3:58. Nick Paul led the Maple Leafs with a goal in the loss, which dropped Toronto to 2-2-1.
Takeaways From Vegas’ Win Over Toronto
A fast start buried by a bigger finish
Toronto came out of the gate hot, scoring three times in the opening period through Jack Roslovic, Easton Cowan and Nick Paul. Matthews set up the opening goal. The Maple Leafs were outshot 43-24 for the game despite the early lead.
Eichel sparks the comeback
Mark Stone cut the deficit to 3-1 late in the first period on a Jack Eichel assist, and Eichel completed the tying sequence himself early in the second with an unassisted wrist shot to make it 3-3. Eichel finished with one goal, one assist and six shots on goal in 26:38 of ice time.
Vegas wins the shootout despite a quiet overtime
Neither team scored in the extra period, sending the game to a shootout. Braeden Bowman, Kirill Marchenko and Trevor Connelly each scored in the shootout to give Vegas the win.
Player Of The Game: Jack Eichel
Eichel led all Golden Knights skaters with a goal and an assist for two points, adding six shots on goal and winning nine of 20 faceoffs in 26:38 of ice time. His tying goal in the second period erased Toronto’s three-goal lead and set up the eventual shootout win.
Vegas Vs. Toronto By The Numbers
Vegas outshot Toronto 43-24, nearly doubling the Maple Leafs’ shot total despite Toronto’s early scoring burst. The Golden Knights also won the physical battle with 27 hits to Toronto’s 13. Toronto, however, dominated the faceoff circle, winning 59.7% of draws compared to Vegas’ 40.3%.
Neither team converted on the power play. Adin Hill made 21 saves for Vegas; Sergei Bobrovsky made 40 saves for Toronto.
What’s Next
The Golden Knights sit atop the Pacific Division at 4-1-0. The Maple Leafs fall to 2-2-1 in the Atlantic Division.
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