Photo credit: globalnews.ca
On Saturday night, Reilly Smith delivered a standout performance, scoring twice, including the game-winning goal in overtime, as the Vegas Golden Knights narrowly defeated the Calgary Flames 3-2.
Pavel Dorofeyev also contributed to the victory for Vegas (46-22-8) with his team-leading 33rd goal, maintaining the Golden Knights’ three-point lead over the Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division standings.
Calgary (36-27-13) saw goals from Joel Hanley and Matt Coronato. The Flames are now just four points behind the idle Minnesota Wild, who occupy the second wild-card position in the Western Conference. Notably, Calgary holds one game in hand on Minnesota and will face them at the Saddledome this coming Friday.
Making his first start of the season, Akira Schmid recorded 21 saves to secure the win for Vegas. He stepped in as Adin Hill was rested after a five-game stretch, while Ilya Samsonov remained sidelined due to injury.
Dustin Wolf, the Flames’ goaltender, had a busy night as well, making 31 saves, but his record now stands at 25-16-7.
Highlights and Analysis
Takeaways:
Golden Knights: Victor Olafsson achieved a personal best by recording nine shots on goal, surpassing his previous high of seven from November 9, 2019, while playing for the Buffalo Sabres. Notably, four of these shots occurred in a brief 28-second span during a first-period power play, where Wolf thwarted four consecutive one-timer attempts from close range.
Flames: After being outscored 8-0 in their initial two matchups against Vegas earlier this season, Calgary finally got on the board with Hanley’s second goal of the year, which came with just eight seconds left in the second period. Coronato then leveled the game only 43 seconds into the third period.
Key Moment:
During the overtime, played at four-on-four due to Vegas starting on a power play without any stoppages, Smith clinched the victory by curling around the net and firing a backhand shot that bounced off Wolf before finding the back of the net.
Key Stat:
Vegas continues to show dominance within their division, boosting their record to 16-4-1 against Pacific Division rivals this season.
Upcoming Matches:
Golden Knights: They will visit the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.
Flames: They are set to take on the San Jose Sharks on Monday.
Source
globalnews.ca