Golden Knights score 4 in 1st, defeat Canucks to extend point streak to 7

LAS VEGAS -- The Vegas Golden Knights scored four goals in the first period of a 6-3 victory against the Vancouver Canucks at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday.

Jonathan Marchessault had a goal and two assists, and Anthony Mantha and Jack Eichel each had a goal and an assist for Vegas (42-25-8), which extended its point streak to seven games (6-0-1). Logan Thompson made 27 saves.

The Golden Knights moved five points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings for third in the Pacific Division.

“I loved the way we played. I loved the way we started and battled the whole night,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Full value, I felt. I’m going to watch it again tomorrow, and it’ll probably back that up. I’ll see a lot of good stuff.”

Quinn Hughes scored twice, and Casey DeSmith made 24 saves for Vancouver (46-21-8), which has lost three of four.

The Canucks remained five points ahead of the Edmonton Oilers, who have two games in hand, for first in the Pacific.

“Not a good start,” Hughes said. “Everyone’s got to look inward here. We still got two games on the trip where we need the wins. We need to play better than what we did. Another opportunity tomorrow (at the Arizona Coyotes).”

Mantha gave the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead at 1:37 of the first period, scoring from in front after DeSmith stopped Pavel Dorofeyev with his left pad on a breakaway.

Marchessault extended the lead to 2-0 at 6:23 with a wrist shot from the top of the right circle.

Nils Hoglander cut the lead to 2-1 at 9:20, scoring on a loose puck from the edge of the crease after Thompson couldn't cover it at the left post.

Eichel responded 20 seconds later to make it 3-1. He finished a centering pass from Marchessault into an open net on a rush.

Noah Hanifin made it 4-1 at 14:42 with a one-timer off a pass from Eichel on a power play. It was his first goal in 13 games with Vegas since being acquired from the Calgary Flames in a three-team trade on March 6.

“It was good to finally get one,” Hanifin said. “Great play by Jack, too, and a good screen by [Ivan Barbashev]. Just trying to get pucks on net and shoot it. Fortunately, it was nice to get one in front of the home crowd.”

William Karlsson made it 5-1 with a power-play goal at 1:46 of the second period, tapping in a rebound after Alex Pietrangelo's shot trickled under the pads of DeSmith.

“Won the battle. ‘Petro’ got the shot off, I just finished it off," Karlsson said. "Sometimes it’s that easy.”

Hughes made it 5-2 at 6:13, scoring from the high slot just before a power play expired. He then cut it to 5-3 at 1:41 of the third period with a shot five-hole from the left point through a screen.

“We had our moments in the second and third,” Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet said. “But obviously that first put us behind the eight ball.”

Brett Howden tapped in a pass from Keegan Kolesar on a 2-on-1 to make it 6-3 at 2:05.

“When you score a goal, you get your mojo back right away,” Cassidy said. “Good for us for responding. They weren’t cheap goals, they were good goals, good plays, where we got back to it.”

NOTE: Marchessault scored his 41st goal of the season, the third-most by an undrafted player in the past 20 years. Only Artemi Panarin (44 in 2023-24) and Martin St. Louis (43 in 2006-07) scored more.