LDN - Sports

Knights continue Golden start at Chicago's expense

[October 25, 2017] LAS VEGAS -- Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews went so far as to say the Vegas Golden Knights are playing "playoff-like" hockey after the expansion team won yet another game at the expense of his club Tuesday night.

"They are not necessarily underdogs," Toews said after Vegas' 4-2 victory at T-Mobile Arena. "They are going out there and trying to make teams make plays and score and frustrate them. They are really keying off that and getting some energy off that. Obviously, they are playing well."

The play of rookie Oscar Dansk, the Golden Knights' third goaltender in only their eighth game, epitomized the way Vegas is elevating its game to historic heights to start the season.

Dansk, making his first career NHL start, finished with 29 saves as the Golden Knights (7-1-0) continued the best start of any expansion franchise in NHL history.

"We were playing a minor league goalie, but like we talk about all the time, the next man stepped up and did the job," said Vegas coach Gerard Gallant, who was forced to play Dansk after starter Marc-Andre Fleury and backup Malcolm Subban went on the injured reserve in the past two weeks.

"It's been unbelievable. Everything has gone our way. Whoever is playing with our group, it's not all about skill and talent, it's about how hard they've worked."

Vegas can tie the record of five consecutive wins by an expansion team when it hosts the Colorado Avalanche on Friday to conclude a seven-game homestand. The Edmonton Oilers set the record in the 1979-80 season.

Chicago (5-3-2) and Vegas opened with a flurry of scoring in the first 5:46, but stellar defense and goaltending by Chicago's Corey Crawford and Dansk took over until the Golden Knights grabbed a 3-1 lead with 1:45 left in the second period.

Vegas right winger Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scored that goal at even strength seven seconds after Chicago right winger Ryan Hartman returned from a double-minor for slashing and roughing.

Jonathan Marchessault, a forward playing his first game after returning from injured reserve, put the Golden Knights ahead 4-1 on a power-play goal with 9:40 remaining.

Chicago right winger Patrick Kane cut the lead to 4-2 by scoring with 1:05 left.

"We had moments of our own, but we limited our chances with the mistakes we made mentally," said Toews, referring to the Blackhawks' five penalties and inability to get clean looks against Dansk by rushing shots.

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Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford (50) makes a save during a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

In an early-scoring barrage, Chicago center John Hayden netted a short-handed goal 3:33 into the game, but Vegas center William Karlsson answered with a power-play goal 26 seconds later.

The Golden Knights took a 2-1 lead 5:46 into the contest when Crawford (29 saves) could not handle Vegas defender Deryk Engelland's wrist shot. Left winger Tomas Nosek jammed the rebound into the net for his second goal of the season.

Dansk subsequently the Blackhawks scoreless until Kane's late goal, thwarting a three-on-one shot by Kane in the second period and a breakaway shot by left winger Patrick Sharp early in the third period.

"That was big save for us," Gallant said of the play on Sharp. "It was 3-1 at the time, and Sharp is usually a sniper who takes advantage of plays like that. It was a huge save for us because a lot of time was left. The young kid made a big save which turned out to be one of the biggest plays in the game."

NOTES: Vegas activated C Jonathan Marchessault (lower-body injury) from the injured list Monday and assigned F Vadim Shipachyov to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. Shipachyov appeared in three games with Vegas and had one goal in his first game after his call up from Chicago on Oct. 14. ... Chicago G Corey Crawford is tied for third in the NHL with a .936 save percentage. ... Vegas G Marc-Andre Fleury (concussion), F Erik Haula (undisclosed injury), D Clayton Stoner (undisclosed) and G Malcolm Subban (lower-body injury) are on injured reserve. Fleury's return will be in days, not weeks, coach Gerard Gallant told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

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