Jack Eichel scored on an end-to-end rush with eight seconds left in overtime after Tomas Hertl scored the tying goal with 52 seconds left in the third period as the visiting Vegas Golden Knights rallied for a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Sunday night.
After goalie Carter Hart edged out of the crease to deny Mike Zibanejad with 18 seconds left, Brett Howden won a defensive zone faceoff from Zibanejad at the left faceoff dot with 17 seconds left.
Shea Thedore banked the puck off the boards in the neutral zone near the benches, Eichel retrieved it and outraced Matthew Robertson while the rookie New York defenseman tried to slow down the play.
Eichel finished it off by cutting from the middle of the slot to the right edge of the crease and slipped the puck past goalie Jonathan Quick.
The Golden Knights matched a season high with their fourth straight win when Eichel scored. Eichel also had an assist when Hertl swept in a backhander by Quick on a rebound of the center’s shot from near the crease.
Hertl scored while Howden and New York defenseman Will Borgen were serving coincidental minors for roughing in what essentially became a power play when Vegas pulled Hart.
Howden scored 36 seconds into the contest following a defensive zone giveaway by New York’s Vladislav Gavrikov.
The Golden Knights lost the lead when Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere scored in a span of 3:53 in the second period, during which the Rangers outshot the Golden Knights 16-6.
Zibanejad scored on a backhander off Robertson’s shot 9:08 into the second moments after another shot sailed wide. Lafreniere put the Rangers ahead with a hard wrister from the right faceoff circle but New York dropped to 3-8-3 at home and took its second straight overtime loss.
Hart stopped 21 shots for Vegas.
Quick returned from a lower-body injury and made 26 saves, denying Ivan Barbashev on a breakaway with about 7 1/2 minutes left.
–Field Level Media
