VANCOUVER — Alex Pietrangelo scored the go-ahead goal at 14:14 of the third period, and the Vegas Golden Knights rallied past the Vancouver Canucks 5-4 at Rogers Arena on Monday.
William Carrier scored twice, Mark Stone had a goal and an assist, and Pietrangelo had two assists for the Golden Knights (15-4-1), who came back from down two goals in the third. Logan Thompson made 25 saves.
“We’ve proven that to ourselves this year that we don’t feel like we’re ever out of the game, no matter what the score and time is,” said the Vegas forward. Jack Eichel, who had two assists. “It feels like a group on the bench, we never think that we’re out of it, and that just goes to show the belief we have in each other.”
Video: VGK@VAN: Pietrangelo gives Golden Knights lead in 3rd
Andrei Kuzmenko had a goal and an assist, and Thatcher Demko made 33 saves for the Canucks (6-10-3), who were trying to win three straight games for the first time this season. Vancouver has blown a multigoal lead in seven losses.
“That’s nothing to do with systems or what the coaches are telling us; that comes down to battle and compete,” Canucks defenseman Luke Schenn said. “We’re getting outmuscled and outbattled in front of the net and in the blue paint. Everyone just needs to be better in front of [Demko]. That’s where games are won and lost.”
Bo Horvat tied it 2-2 on a partial break at 1:47 to start a third period that saw the teams trade three-goal runs.
Video: VGK@VAN: Horvat ties game in 3rd period
Schenn put Vancouver ahead 3-2 with a point shot into traffic that deflected off a Vegas defenseman Nicolas Hague at 5:35, and Elias Pettersson knocked in his own rebound at 6:11 to make it 4-2.
“We came out so well in the third and as soon as we got up by two, it’s just like we shut it down again,” Horvat said. “We got away from our game and just let them come and a team like that, obviously they’re No. 1 in our division, one of the best teams in the League for a reason. We took our foot off the gas too. long.”
Carrier scored his second goal on a rebound in tight at 6:54 to make it 4-3, and Reilly Smith jammed the puck in from the side of the net to tie it 4-4 at 8:57.
“We don’t want to let it get to that, but the resiliency is there, so you take the good and the bad,” Stone said. “Let them off the hook but find a way to get it done.”
Video: VGK@VAN: Smith evens game in 3rd period
Vegas appeared to go ahead 5-4 at 10:08 on a Stone shot from the slot, but Vancouver challenged successfully for game stoppage because the puck hit a lens in the camera hole in the corner 14 seconds earlier.
Pietrangelo finished off a passing play from Stone and Chandler Stephenson just over four minutes later with a shot between Demko’s pads to make it 5-4.
“A lot of emotions, obviously we score and then it gets taken back, but I’ll tell you what, it’s not easy to win on the road and you’ve got to give credit to our group,” Pietrangelo said. “We were resilient no matter what happened. I don’t think we wavered after that disallowed goal, got right back at it.”
Kuzmenko put the Canucks ahead 1-0 at 11:48 of the second period by finishing off a pass from Brock Boeserwho extended his point streak to seven games (eight points; two goals, six assists).
Eichel had two assists 49 seconds apart to put Vegas ahead and extend his point streak to four games (one goal, four assists). Stone tipped in Eichel’s point shot at 14:52 of the second to tie it 1-1, and Eichel’s shot from the top of the right face-off circle deflected off Carrier at the side of the crease at 15:41 to give the score. Golden Knights a 2-1 lead.
“There’s definitely some things we’d like to clean up, but you can’t argue when we’re down two goals in the third period and we find a way to win and get two points and in regulation,” Eichel said.
NOTES: Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault had one assist while playing 16:57 in his 500th NHL game. … Vegas defenseman Alec Martinez had two assists, three blocked shots and was plus-4 in 22:17 of ice time. … Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes had two assists and leads them with 18 assists this season.
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