Field Level Media - Professional sports content solutions | FLM

Adin Hill made 33 saves and Brendon Saad scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period to lead the Vegas Golden Knights to a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Ivan Barbashev and Tomas Hertl also scored and Brett Howden added two assists for Vegas, which moved two points ahead of the Edmonton Oilers and into sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division with its third straight win. The Golden Knights improved to 15-2-1 against the Pacific Division.

Jake DeBrusk scored a goal and Kevin Lankinen stopped 32 of 34 shots for Vancouver, which had a three-game winning streak snapped.

Vancouver, outshot 13-5 during a scoreless first period, took a 1-0 lead at the 6:22 mark of the second period when DeBrusk fired in a Kiefer Sherwood pass into an open right side of the net for his 20th goal, the fourth time in his career he hit the 20-goal mark in a season. Sherwood made the pass behind the net and through the crease past Hill, who whiffed trying to sweep the pass away with his stick.

Vegas tied it, 1-1, midway through the period when Barbashev snapped a 16-game goal-less drought, tapping in a rebound of a Victor Olofsson deflection from the right doorstep. It was also the 1,000th goal scored in 299 games at T-Mobile Arena for the Golden Knights.

Saad then put Vegas in front 18 seconds into the third period, roofing a wrist shot from the left circle on a rebound of a Zach Whitecloud point shot that bounced straight to him off the back wall.

The Canucks appeared to tie the game five minutes later when Nils Hoglander fired a sharp-angled shot from the right side of the net that caromed in off Teddy Blueger. However, the goal was quickly disallowed for goalie interference on Blueger, who had collided with Hill and landed behind him in the crease.

Vancouver pulled Lankinen for an extra attacker and Hertl sealed the win for Vegas with an empty-netter with 30.8 seconds to go.

–Field Level Media