The Vegas Golden Knights (35-18-6) started their five-game homestand strong with a 7-5 win against the Chicago Blackhawks (17-35-7) on Thursday night at T-Mobile Arena.
HOW IT WENT DOWN
The Golden Knights took an early 1-0 lead after Brett Howden recovered the puck in the offensive zone and Keegan Kolesar hit the back of the net. Chicago tied the game at one shortly after with a goal from Blackhawks captain, Nick Foligno, at 6:58 into the first. The Golden Knights retaliated with four consecutive goals with goals from Nicolas Hague, Ivan Barbashev, Tomas Hertl, and Pavel Dorofeyev, to close out the opening period. The Golden Knights scored five goals in the first period for the fourth time in franchise history and the second time during the 2024-25. The second period opened with goals from Colton Dach and Ethan Del Mastro as Chicago cut Vegas' lead to two. Kolesar scored his second goal of the game to give the Golden Knights a 6-3 lead with 6:22 left to play in the second. Ilya Mikheyev and Philipp Kurashev scored for the Blackhawks to close the gap to 6-5 midway through the final frame. Barbashev scored his second goal of the night with 4:15 left to give the Golden Knights the 7-5 lead and secure the win for Vegas.
TOP PERFORMERS
Keegan Kolesar – Kolesar scored two goals on the night for his sixth multi-point night of the season.
Brett Howden – Howden had three assists in the win to mark the first time in his career he's had three helpers in a single game.
Tomas Hertl – Hertl had two points (1G, 1A) and has a team-high 13 goals at home this season.
Ivan Barbashev – Barbashev registered four points (2G, 2A) in the victory for his second four-point night of his career.
VGK STATS OF THE KNIGHT
Hertl extended his home point streak to eight games, a new career-high.
The five goals scored in the first period tied for a franchise high, and Thursday night was the fourth time in franchise history it has been done.
Jack Eichel’s assist on Hertl’s goal was his 51st of the season and a new single-season franchise record.
Hertl tied the Golden Knights record for most power-play goals in a single season with his 11th power-play goal.
Ivan Barbashev recorded his 100th point as a Golden Knight.
ATTENDANCE: 18,291
LOOKING AHEAD
The Golden Knights continue their homestand with their final game against the New Jersey Devils this year on Sunday at 5 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena. Watch the game on Vegas 34, stream on KnightTime+, or listen live on FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340.
