Trending: Mantha helps keep Wings undefeated in Vegas, 3-2, in OT

LAS VEGAS -- Not many teams can say they are undefeated in Las Vegas.
In two short years, the Vegas Golden Knights have created what most believe is the best atmosphere in the league - loud, raucous, fun and intimidating for opponents.

But the Detroit Red Wings were not intimidated, and in fact seemed charged up by the crowd as they earned a 3-2 overtime victory at T-Mobile Arena Saturday night.
Last season, the Wings were the first team to defeat the Golden Knights, on Oct. 13, 2017, so they are now 2-0 in Las Vegas.
Luke Glendening and Anthony Mantha (two, power play, overtime winner) scored for the Wings.
Cody Eakin and Reilly Smith (shorthanded) lit the lamp for the Golden Knights.
Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard had 28 saves. Vegas netminder Malcolm Subban also made 28 saves.
The Red Wings improved to 27-38-10 while the Golden Knights fell to 42-27-6.
Up next for the Wings is a trip to San Jose to face Gustav Nyquist and the Sharks on Monday.
The Knights travel to St. Louis to play the Blues Monday.
1. Anthony Mantha: Had Mantha not missed 15 games with a hand injury, the Wings might have had a chance at three players with close to 30 goals. During the Wings' third-period power play, Mantha got his pocket picked by Smith for a shorthanded goal but Mantha did not let it deter him. Mantha was ready a minute later, firing the puck past Subban at 11:17 to tie the game, 2-2. Athanasiou and Niklas Kronwall picked up the assists. Mantha was also instrumental in preventing Vegas' leading scorer Mark Stone from getting an open look at the left side of the net with about four minutes remaining in regulation. Then in overtime, Mantha got his chance when Larkin had the puck and drew the defenders toward him before sending the puck back to the slot, where Mantha was waiting to end the game. Mantha now has 19 goals. Athanasiou leads the team with 28 and Dylan Larkin is second with 27. Mantha finished with 27 shifts for 19:21, had a game-high seven shots, one takeaway, was 0-for-1 in face-offs and was plus-1.

Quotable: "Great play by Larkin, I mean he was all over that forecheck good stick on puck created the turnover and then he tried to get a shot but he wasn't able to, so he just tried to pass it back an he found my stick and it was a wide-open net. I've had good ups and downs this year, but I had to focus a little bit more on the downs this year tried to build off of that for next year, try to be an even better player next year." - Mantha
Quotable II: "I knew there was two guys in front of me and Smith had the puck, so I thought if he got by me, I had two guys behind me to pick him up. I had my defensemen. I saw him drop it and I tried to take it to the net. I saw Mo (Mantha) coming in. I know he's coming down the slot and he's got a great shot, so I just tried to find him." - Larkin
Quotable III: "I think it very easily could have went the other way tonight after given up the shorty to Smith, but our power play came right back out and tied it up. Great individual effort by Larks to set up Mo (Mantha) in overtime." - Howard
Quotable IV: "He was excellent tonight. He was a big-time player tonight. He had the unfortunate turnover on the power play. I thought it was great that he comes right back and scores, and then scores the overtime goal. I thought it was fitting given the game he was having. I thought he was moving his feet right from the very, very first drop of the puck. I thought he was on his game for sure. Him and I talked a little bit yesterday. I thought he did a really good job coming out and playing the right way." - Wings coach Jeff Blashill

2.Jimmy Howard: Although the Red Wings carried the play early in the first period, Howard was called upon to be at his best later in the frame. The Golden Knights did not have their first shot until Shea Theodore sent the puck from the right point nearly seven minutes into the game. Howard stopped that one, then made the save on Ryan Carpenter from the left circle. Howard's best saves of the first were when he made a quick slide to his left to stone Ryan Reaves alone at 9:54 and then stopped William Carrier in front when Reaves passed to him from behind the net. A turnover early in the second forced Howard to be ready for Valentin Zykov's shot in the right circle. During the Golden Knights' power play, Howard stopped Mark Stone from the right circle at 13:06. It was Howard's first career victory against the Golden Knights as former Wings goalie Petr Mrazek won the first meeting between the two teams last season.

Quotable: "It's just so much fun, when you go out for warm-ups and it's already sold out. Everything that's going on around the game, you can feel the atmosphere, you can feel the energy coming off the fans and the music and everything like that. I think it makes for a fun atmosphere. From the drop of the puck, we were ready to go tonight. We had a great start to almost every single period. When we do that, it gives us confidence, especially the younger guys in the lineup and we're able to play the right way."
Quotable II: "Jimmy was really good. I thought both goalies were good. Actually I thought their guy was good, too. But I thought Jimmy was real solid, made big saves at big moments that we needed them." - Blashill
3. Luke Glendening/Taro Hirose: Hirose has made his transition from college hockey at Michigan State to the NHL seem almost too easy. But on Saturday, Hirose was back to doing what he did in his first two games, even though he was playing on a different line. In his first two games, Hirose played with Frans Nielsen and Thomas Vanek. Against the Golden Knights, he was with Andreas Athanasiou and Glendening. Hirose intercepted the puck before it left the offensive zone and passed it to Athanasiou at the left side of the net. Although Subban made the initial save, Glendening was there for the rebound. Hirose now has an assist in three straight games.

There's a reason that Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill has had Glendening playing with Athanasiou since he put Athanasiou back at center -- to provide a forechecker and solid defensive presence on his line. But that doesn't mean Glendening lacks offensive ability. At 3:06 of the first period, Glendening went to the net and was ready to put the rebound in after Subban stopped Athanasiou's shot. It was Glendening's 10th goal of the season but first in 18 games. He last scored on Feb. 12 at Nashville. It is the third time in his career that Glendening has reached double-digit goals in a season, including last season's 11 and the career-high 12 he had in 2014-15. Glendening had 23 shifts for 15:52, had four shots, four hits, four blocked shots, was 4-for-8 in face-offs and was even. Hirose had 19 shifts for 14:57, had two shots, three takeaways and was even.

Quotable: "(Hirose's) a real smart player. He finds his way to points. I thought he had moments of real effectiveness tonight. Like every young player he's figuring out space, and that'll be an important thing for him because he's not super big. If he can figure out that space, when he has it, when he doesn't have it, it'll help him a lot. But I thought he was an effective player tonight and he's a really good passer of the puck." - Blashill
Quotable II: "That's great I hope (Hirose) keeps it going to help the team win. He's playing great hockey, he's made some great plays, so hopefully he keeps going that way." - Mantha
Quotable III: "This building is so loud. It's by far the best building to play in in the NHL. There's really nothing like it. They blast the music. Their in-game stuff is awesome. It felt like a playoff game. We were fired up to play and I thought it was the best game we've played in a long time, maybe this season. We showed ourselves. We played a mature game. They went up, 2-1, there on the shorty and our power play did what it has to do and went out and grabbed a bang-bang play and it was in the net. Tied it up and we didn't give up much after that. It was a mature game from us and something that I think after this season we can look back on. They're a darn good hockey team over there. We were right there with them and we were the better team I thought." - Larkin