Marchessault and Dadonov top Knights 7-4 | The Canadian News

Evgenii Dadonov and Jonathan Marchessault each scored twice and the Vegas Golden Knights beat visiting Vancouver Canucks 7-4 on Saturday night.

Vegas, now 9-0-2 all-time against the Canucks since 2017, overcame an initial two-goal deficit to extend its winning streak to 8-2-0 since Oct. 26 after opening season 1- 4-0.

After Vancouver goalkeeper Thatcher Demko was called for a game delay for hitting his own net off the post, Marchessault scored his 100th goal as a Gold Knight to put Las Vegas ahead 5-4, a lead that would not budge. much to the delight of 18,261 in attendance.

“Tonight was not the prettiest game for us overall, we could definitely have done a better job in the first two periods,” Marchessault said.

“Good teams find a way to win, and right now that is what we are doing. We are just working hard, everyone is on the same page. “

Reilly Smith, Brayden McNabb and Jake Leschyshyn also scored for Las Vegas. Robin Lehner, who improved to 6-1 in his last seven starts, stopped 39 shots.

“The way the game started tonight dictated how open it was,” Las Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said. “You’re down 2-0 in 10 minutes, it’s human nature that you’re opening yourself up to try to get back in the game and that’s what it looks like.

“Some nights, games like that slip away when you do that. Tonight, we got more saves than they did and we found a way to get back up and score some goals. “

Nils Hoglander scored twice for the Canucks. JT Miller and Tanner Pearson also scored, while Demko made 31 saves.

Vancouver is now on a 2-6-1 slide since it opened the 3-2-1 season. It’s a skid that the team seemed ready to finish after shooting out.

Miller gave Vancouver an early lead when he ran into the zone alone and threw a wrist shot through Lehner’s pads, extending his scoring streak to seven games.

The Canucks pushed their lead to 2-0 when former Knight Brad Hunt sent the puck through the slot to Conor Garland, who tossed the puck into the crease where it deviated from Pearson’s skate and into the net.

With Canucks defender Oliver Ekman-Larsson serving a four-minute minor double and Justin Bailey in the box to hook, Dadonov hit a loose puck in front of the net to cut Vancouver’s lead in half late in the first. period.

Smith tied the game early in the second, when they cornered the puck in the neutral zone, skidded and pinned the puck over Demko’s glove for his fifth goal in 10 games. McNabb gave the Golden Knights a 3-2 lead with his second goal of the season.

Lehner stopped 16 consecutive shots after Vancouver took its 2-0 lead. But after being crammed in the door, Hoglander was there to dig the puck under Lehner and tie the game at 3.

Vegas’ fourth goal came as Dadonov’s 360 spinning pass landed perfectly on Leschyshyn’s sword to make him the third Las Vegas rookie to score the first goal of his career in the last two games. The lead wouldn’t last, however, as Hoglander hit a loose rebound off Lehner’s platform in an open net for the second two-goal game of his career.

Dadonov got his second goal of the game after the Canucks flipped the puck and he stormed the zone in a 2-on-1 run with captain Mark Stone, who returned to the lineup after missing the previous 12 games. Marchessault scored his second of the night less than two minutes later to provide the final margin.

“I thought it was a much better effort from our group tonight,” Vancouver coach Travis Green said. “I loved our start in the game. Obviously, there are a couple of plays in the game that we would like to have back, and there are definitely a couple of decisions that should never have been called against us.

“I don’t usually complain about refereeing, but the call against Demko was egregious, and the… minor double for rudeness is very questionable to me as well. They were both critical parts of the game. “

NOTES: Vegas D Ben Hutton skated in place of Alec Martinez, who suffered a severe cut Thursday. Hutton spent the first four seasons of his career with Vancouver. … The Canucks entered the game having been outscored (159-117) and outscored (16-5) in the first period, but led Vegas 2-1 after shooting out the Golden Knights 10-9. … It was the eighth time in team history that the Golden Knights scored at least seven goals. … It was the first time since 1997 that the Canucks allowed seven goals in consecutive games. Vancouver lost to Colorado 7-1 on Thursday.

UNTIL NEXT TIME: Vancouver: Play the second of consecutive nights in Anaheim on Sunday. Vegas: Get Carolina on Tuesday.