Jonathan Marchessault scored two goals and Jack Eichel had a goal and two assists to lead the Vegas Golden Knights to a 4-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
It was the second consecutive three-point game for Eichel, the first time in his career he has compiled back-to-back three-point games. Mark Stone also scored for Vegas, which improved to 6-0-0 all-time in regular-season games against the Capitals at T-Mobile Arena.
Logan Thompson made 21 saves and also picked up his second assist of the season for the Golden Knights, snapping a personal five-game losing streak (0-3-2) dating back to a 5-2 win over Winnipeg on Nov. 2.
Tom Wilson scored his fourth goal in two games and Darcy Kuemper finished with 32 saves for Washington, which had a two-game winning streak snapped.
Vegas took a 1-0 lead at the 8:53 mark off the first period on a power-play goal by Marchessault, who took a crossing pass from Eichel at the top of the left circle and then skated to the high slot where he ripped a wrist shot past Kuemper’s glove side. Thompson, who only faced nine shots over the first two periods, was credited with an assist on the play.
The Golden Knights made it 2-0 midway through the second period on a breakaway goal by Eichel. Ben Hutton chipped the puck out of the Vegas zone off the left boards and Eichel scooped it up in the neutral zone before breaking in alone down the slot where he fired a wrist shot five-hole for his 10th goal.
Vegas increased the lead to 3-0 on Stone’s seventh goal of the season 49 seconds into the third period. Eichel set the score up curling behind the net and then feeding Stone with a no-look backhand pass to the right post when Stone jammed it in.
Washington pulled Kuemper for an extra attacker and Wilson cut it to 3-1 with 3:14 left when he one-timed a Dylan Strome feed from the slot for his eighth goal of the season.
Marchessault sealed the win for the Golden Knights with an empty-netter with 1:57 remaining. The goal was his 11th of the season.
–Field Level Media
