The Vegas Golden Knights (7-3-3) fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning (7-5-2), 6-3, on Thursday at T-Mobile Arena.
HOW IT WENT DOWN
Ivan Barbashev put Vegas on the board first with a backhand goal from a rebounded Noah Hanifin shot at 7:25 in the first frame. Mitch Marner also picked up a helper on the score for his first point of the night. Eight minutes later, Barbashev found the back of the net once again to extend the lead, 2-0, for Vegas. Marner and Jack Eichel set up the play net front for Barbashev. 36 seconds into the middle period, Gage Goncalves buried the puck and made it a one-goal game. Dominic James evened the score 2-2 three minutes later for his first career goal. In the third period, Nikita Kucherov scored a power-play goal less than three minutes into the frame, to give Tampa its first lead of the game. Marner responded 49 seconds later with a one-timer from the blue line to tie the contest, 3-3. Less than a minute later, Brandon Hagel put the Lightning back in front with 15:48 minutes remaining in the game. Kucherov extended Tampa’s lead with his second goal of the night on the power play, and Hagel buried an empty-net goal to seal a 6-3 victory for the Lightning. Despite the loss, Barbashev (2G, 1A) and Marner (1G, 2A) each recorded three-point nights.
ATTENDANCE: 17,717
LOOKING AHEAD
The Golden Knights’ six-game homestand continues Saturday as they take on the Anaheim Ducks for the first time this season at T-Mobile Arena. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. Catch the action on The Spot-Vegas 34, KnightTime+, FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340 and Deportes Vegas 1460.
