Golden Knights tie expansion wins record in fitting fashion

CALGARY --The wild ride of the expansion Vegas Golden Knights careened past exceptional and hit surreal at Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday.

Trailing by a goal late in the third period, the Golden Knights scored twice in 10 seconds and
defeated the Calgary Flames 4-2
, tying the NHL record for most victories by an expansion team. With 33 wins, they share the record with the Florida Panthers and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, who each reached that total in 1993-94.
But Vegas (33-12-4) got there in its 49th game … in January.

The Houdini-like escape even had some of the Golden Knights searching for ways to describe the outcome.
"I can't really put it into words," defenseman Nate Schmidt said. "It was something else. The guys were pretty fired up on the bench. When you don't play your best game … you just find a way to win. That's what good teams do, you take a lucky bounce and that's just the way it goes."
It was fitting that the Golden Knights tied the record with a win that perfectly defines who they are and what they are about. They are 5-6-1 when trailing entering the third period, for a .417 winning percentage, by far the best in the League.

They refuse to give up, no matter the time or place or opponent.
They haven't strayed much from their expansion script, from Game 1 to Game 49. Game 1, back on Oct. 6, was a template for their success: James Neal scored the go-ahead goal with 2:44 remaining in the third period and Vegas won 2-1 at the Dallas Stars.
If anything, the win against the Flames was far more dramatic. Golden Knights forward Erik Haula tied it 2-2 with 1:46 remaining in the third, taking advantage of a mistake by Flames forward Michael Frolik, who inadvertently shot the puck on his own net, and Haula easily scored on the rebound.
Ten seconds later, Jonathan Marchessault scored the go-ahead goal, beating Flames goalie Mike Smith high on the glove side, and David Perron sealed the win with an empty-net goal with 53 seconds remaining.
Three goals in the final 1:46, scored in the span of 53 seconds.
Haula admitted to essentially blacking out and not really knowing what happened when he tied the game.
"I was just trying to read the play and then that happened," he said. "I didn't expect it to happen when it did happen. Like I said, I kind of blacked out.
"Then I sit down and I'm gassed and we score again. I'm like, 'OK, what just happened?' Then it was 4-2 and the game was over. It was crazy."
Frolik called his mistake an awful play, saying he panicked a little.
The Golden Knights were frustrated by the Flames but kept pushing and pushing until they wiggled through the smallest of openings.

It is never too late for Vegas.
"Just got to keep playing," Schmidt said.
"We really didn't get our speed going. I think that's the reason why we had a tough time moving up on the ice. It's not the type of game we usually play.
"…They did a really good job of playing their system. They were going to make us work for our ice. It's tough to play against. You almost have to be methodical. You can't let yourself get frustrated by it."
Methodical can be magical, as it was on this night.
The record is special, but there was no big celebration to mark the accomplishment. It's a tiny piece of the larger framework for the Golden Knights.

"It's not something we look at," goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury said. "We have a good team and I don't think we need to worry about the expansion record stuff."
Schmidt said, "It's great for our organization. Hopefully it's another part of our year.
"Just got to make sure you win that last one."