The Golden Knights are aiming to secure their first win of the preseason as they face the Utah Mammoth inside T-Mobile Arena. Vegas has started the season with an 0-2 record, suffering a 3-0 defeat against San Jose and losing 3-1 to the LA Kings on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Utah has lost all three of its preseason games, with their most recent setback being a 6-1 loss to Anaheim on Monday.
Tonight, hockey fans got a first look at what Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner will look like on the same line, with Ivan Barbashev joining them for his third season as a Golden Knight. Last year, Barbashev and Eichel were on the same line with Mark Stone, and now they are looking to establish chemistry with Marner.
Utah Shows Bite
The game began with Utah displaying strong defense against the Knights, winning puck battles, blocking shots, and effectively silencing the top line of Marner and Eichel for the first two periods. Utah held Vegas to just three shots on goal in the first period and only seven in the second.
During the early stages of the game, Utah effectively moved the puck through the neutral zone, creating odd-man rushes and sustaining offensive pressure. Dylan Guenther stood out for Utah, scoring both goals for the Mammoth. His first goal came off a backhand shot that sneaked past goalie Adin Hill, while his second came on a two-on-one, with Barrett Hayton setting him up for a one-timer that beat Hill on the glove side.
Eichel and Marner Shine Late
However, Guenther was not the only player to score two goals in tonight’s game. Jack Eichel and his line found their rhythm and managed to erase Utah’s two-goal lead. Mitch Marner recorded his first unofficial assist in the gold jerseys, centering a one-time pass to Jack Eichel in the slot, who fired it past Vitek Vanecek.
In the early stages of the game, the Golden Knights struggled to generate any momentum on their power play, going 0 for 2. However, with just 3:43 left in the game, they received another power play opportunity. Similiar to the first goal, Jack Eichel scored his second by blasting the puck past Vanecek with a one-time shot with a cross feed pass from Ivan Barbashev, tying the game.
Eichel’s tying goal led to the fourth preseason overtime in the NHL. To start the overtime, the Knights struggled to apply offensive pressure early on. However, a solid play by Jack Eichel changed the momentum; he intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and made a perfect tape-to-tape pass in stride to Shea Theodore. Theodore sealed the game with his signature forehand-to-backhand move, scoring the goal and securing the Knights’ first preseason win.
Bruce Cassidy anticipated some rust from the Eichel line, considering it was their first start together. He commented on what he saw develop from the Eichel line as the game moved on.
“As the game wears on, they get more touches, and it comes a little quicker to them because they’re elite players. They made some good plays to each other, and they were the reason why we won the game, really, at the end of the day.”
Bruce Cassidy also expressed his hope that his team will begin to develop a more natural offensive flow during the preseason. He acknowledges that, with several young players and new talent getting accustomed to playing together, it will be a challenge to create and capitalize on offensive opportunities.
The Golden Knights will have a quick turnaround as they travel to San Jose for the second time this preseason, facing a back-to-back night. The Knights aim to avenge their 3-0 loss to San Jose in their preseason opener.
Make sure to stay tuned on Vegas Sports Today for all Vegas Golden Knight updates.
