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On a roster that has seen quite a bit of overhaul over the past few seasons, defenseman Shea Theodore was able to recreate some misfit magic Thursday, Jan. 20 against the Montreal Canadiens as he put home the game-winning goal in overtime to give Vegas the 4-3 win.
“It was a big goal to end the homestand like that and head on the road with some positivity,” Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore said postgame about his game-winning goal.
The win keeps Vegas seeded atop the Pacific division with 50 points from a 24-15-2 record on the year. The Golden Knights lead both the LA Kings and the Anaheim Ducks by five points within the Pacific Division.
Vegas also ranks as the fourth best team in the Western Conference Standings.
When he evaluated his team’s performance, Vegas head coach Pete DeBoer said, “I thought we worked hard enough to earn two points.”
Vegas center Jonathan Marchessault said after the game that, “Tonight we found a way and that’s always positive. Good teams find a way to win games.”
Looking at the upcoming schedule, Vegas will play their first road game in nearly a month on Monday, Jan. 24 when they take on the Washington Capitals.
That game kicks off a four-game road trip for the Knights who will also play the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.
This will also mark the second time this season that Vegas has made an East Coast swing.
Their first trip back in December went according to plan as Vegas went a perfect 4-0 and collected all eight points against Boston, New Jersey Devils and both New York teams.
Vegas Golden Knights fans will be able to watch the next game Monday against the Capitals at 4 p.m. PST on AT&T Sportsnet in Vegas.
The ice seemed to be tilted in favor of Vegas in the first period. The Knights finished the period with 18 shots on goal compared to 10 for Montreal.
The Canadiens were able to stay within reach with a left-wing Michael Pezzetta goal in the last five minutes of the period along with some sensational goaltending from goalie Sam Montembeault who was faced with some high-quality scoring chances from the VGK.
The first period also marked the twelfth goal of the season for center Chandler Stephenson which ties left-wing Max Pacioretty for second most on the team this season.
Stephenson achieved this in his 300th career game.
Each team recorded a goal in the second period with Vegas generating a majority of the high-scoring chances. By the end of the second period, Vegas had 32 shots on goal whereas Montreal had 18.
A quick power play goal by Montreal’s Nick Toffoli kept the momentum from completely shifting over to the Vegas side of the ice.
Montreal used the momentum gained from part of the second period entering the third period as they would find their first lead of the game with 13:45 left in regulation. The lead would last just under five and a half minutes as Marchessault put in the game-tying goal to force overtime.
Vegas goaltender Robin Lehner finished the night with 24 saves on 27 attempts while Montreal’s Montembeault finished the game with 49 saves on 53 attempts.
The 53 shots on goal for the golden Knights sets a new season-high total for the team.