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New Jersey defenseman Dougie Hamilton put the game-winning goal past Vegas goaltender Logan Thompson to give the Devils a 3-2 win over the Golden Knights Tuesday, Jan. 24 from the Prudential Center.
“I thought we played a pretty responsible hockey game tonight,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Guys were trying to play the right way and unfortunately, two went in off our own guys in the net and we weren’t able to overcome that.”
Hamilton was also responsible for the game-tying goal with 1:10 to play in regulation that knotted the game at two. These were Hamilton’s 12th and 13th goals of the season with the game-winner also coming on the power play.
This is only the third overtime loss of the season for the Golden Knights and all three losses have come on the road. Vegas now sits with a 29-17-3 record and has 61 points in the Pacific Division. These 61 points are good for a one point lead over the LA Kings.
The Golden Knights will spend the next few days in the northeastern United States as they get set for a Friday night matchup with the New York Rangers from Madison Square Garden. Puck drop is set for 4 p.m. and can be seen on AT&T Sportsnet in Las Vegas or on ESPN+ nationwide.
Friday’s matchup against the Rangers will be the second of two scheduled meetings for the two teams. The last time these teams met back on Dec. 7, it was the Rangers taking a 5-1 victory in T-Mobile Arena.
Thompson found himself on the losing end of the goalie battle for the second time in as many games and is now 1-2 in his last three starts with an average save percentage of .900 over the past three games. Thompson saved 33 of the 36 shots he faced Tuesday night.
“They score in the first four minutes of the game and the last minute so that’s on me,” Thompson said. “I got to be better. I feel like everyone is doing their job except for me so I got to be better.”
This is now back to back games where Thompson has allowed at least three goals in a game.
“I thought [Thompson] was good,” Cassidy said. “Both the goals, they’re unfortunate for us and lucky for Jersey. Give them credit for going to the net or putting the puck towards the net obviously.”
“The last shot was a PK coverage where we thought we had a loose puck situation so we left the good ice and it squirts out,” Cassidy said. “That’s a pretty good shot, I can’t fault him for that. Obviously, I would love to see him make the save there but that’s probably a goal on most goalies in this league any night.”
Center Brett Howden made his return to the Golden Knights lineup after missing the past 27 games due to injury. In his return, Howden finished the night with 15 shifts for 11:29 of ice time.
It was another slow start for the Golden Knights who found themselves down 1-0 within the first five minutes of the game. Left-winger Ondrej Palat found the back of the net for the Devils to grab the early advantage in what would be the lone goal of the first period from either side.
The second period has proven to be a problem for the Golden Knights at times this season however on Tuesday, it proved to be the momentum swinger for the road team.
Vegas found the scoreboard not once but twice in the middle frame all within a 2:51 span. Defenseman Ben Hutton scored his second goal of the season to tie the game at one a piece with eight minutes to play in the period.
Center William Karlsson lit up the lamp a few minutes later when he put in a rebound to give Vegas a 2-1 lead, their first lead since the 6-2 win over Washington on Saturday.
“I had a good feeling,” Karlsson said. “I thought we played well. It’s sports. It’s hockey and it’s never over until it’s over.”