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Behind Fleury’s Saves, Golden Knights Defeat Colorado In Pivotal Division Game, 5-2, Wednesday


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By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com

Final Score: Vegas Golden Knights 5 Colorado Avalanche 2

Key Player: VGK goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, stopping 35 of 37 shots with a little help from his posts

Key Goal Scorer: Max Pacioretty with two

Key Pass and Play: Mark Stone’s gorgeous feed to Pacioretty in first minute of third period

Consecutive Wins for Vegas: 10

VGK record: 35-11-2, best in NHL — off to Arizona for two games, Friday and Saturday

VGK coach Pete DeBoer: “Our destiny is in our own hands which is what you want heading into the last two weeks of the season.”

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It took a whole 10 seconds for the Vegas Golden Knights to score a record-quick goal and jump on the Colorado Avalanche in the season’s most important game at T-Mobile Arena.

William Karlsson fired a backhander past the six-foot, six-inch body of Colorado netminder Devan Dubnyk at 19:50 and the 3,950 fans rejoiced (well, minus the Colorado Avalanche ones.)

Wild Bill

During this truncated 56-game pandemic season, with Colorado, Minnesota and St. louis now in the West Division for this COVID-19 season only, the Knights vs Avalanche games have been must-see TV this season. Indeed, NBC Sports Network was broadcasting this game to a national audience. Although, it’s the final season for NBC as ESPN and Turner Sports have seven-year multi-media broadcast deals with the National Hockey League.

Karlsson’s 13th goal of the season had the Golden Knights up a goal until Colorado’s Devon Toews knotted the game at one as the Avs took control of the game.

Fleury played well during the first 20 minutes. The Avs also hit a post or two and could have been leading on Pride Night in the building.

 

After one period: Golden Knights 1 Colorado 1

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The Golden Knights didn’t get a shot on goal until forward Pacioretty scored a power play goal midway through the second period. It wasn’t a very hard shot, but it snuck through the Dubnyk five hole and the Knights were up 2-1.

It was Pacioretty’s 23rd of the season.

We’re in a good spot here. Our goal now is to try to gel and get even better in these final eight games. — Max Pacioretty

Then it was time for Pacioretty’s line mate, Stone, to get on the scoring board. He did some gritty work at the net, and flipped a bank-shot off Dubnyk’s butt for his 19th goal of the season.

Max Pacioretty goal is celebrated

The Knights were up, 3-1, with Fleury playing rock-solid in the middle stanza.

But the Avs responded.

Colorado’s Ryan Graves notched his second goal of the season and the Knights’ lead was cut to 3-2.

And that’s the way the second period ended: Vegas 3 Colorado 2

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Even with 3,950 fans in the seats, there was a playoff buzz inside the building. And only 55 seconds into the third period, Pacioretty took a gorgeous pass from Stone, who waited at the precise moment during the two-on-one break to feed his high-scoring line mate and give Patches an open net to fire in his second of the evening.

The Knights led, 4-2, in period three.

There are things we can clean up, but getting the two points and creating some separation is huge for us. — Mark Stone

The Knights had the two-goal lead for most of the final period until Jonathan Marchessault scored an empty-netter to complete the scoring for the 5-2 win. VGK are now six points up on Colorado, which has played one less game.

 

Wednesday’s NHL scores:

 


 

Alan Snel: Alan Snel brings decades of sports-business reporting experience to LVSportsBiz.com. Snel covered the business side of sports for the South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) Sun-Sentinel, the Tampa Tribune and Las Vegas Review-Journal. As a city hall beat reporter, Snel also covered stadium deals in Denver and Seattle. In 2000, Snel launched a sport-business website for FoxSports.com called FoxSportsBiz.com. After reporting sports-business for the RJ, Snel wrote hard-hitting stories on the Raiders stadium for the Desert Companion magazine in Las Vegas and The Nevada Independent. Snel is also one of the top bicycle advocates in the country.
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