Marchessault Makes It Rain Hats In Vegas With Golden Trick As Knights Melt Avalanche, 5-1, With VGK Heat Before 18,081 Sunday; Playoff Series Tied 2-2

June 6, 2021June 6, 2021 Alan Snel Brandon Saad, Fleury, Jared Bednar, Jonathan Marchessault, Max Pacioretty, Patrick Brown, Philipp Grubauer

Story by Alan Snel Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell

The hats came flying down forever in period three.

VGK’s feisty forward, Jonathan Marchessault, scored three goals in Game 4 between the Golden Knights and the Colorado Avalanche at T-Mobile Arena Sunday and Vegas played one of its best games of the season to dominate the Avs, 5-1, and tie this monster Best-of-7 second round series at two games apiece. Game 5 is in Denver Tuesday and Game 6 is set for Vegas Thursday.

It was another electric 60 minutes of hockey as the Golden Knights announced attendance at 18,081, topping Friday’s 17,504.

Patrick Brown’s goal in the third period topped off the 5-1 win after Marchessault triggered the thunderstorm of hats with his third goal in the game earlier in the final period.

In period two, the Golden Knights took a stranglehold of this critical game 4 with goals by sharpshooters Max Pacioretty and Marchessault, who blasted pucks past Colorado netminder Philipp Grubauer.

It was one of the Golden Knights’ best overall efforts so far this season as VGK outshot Colorado, 35-18.

The pivotal playoff game started at an insane, high-energy pace as the VGK peppered Grubauer early in period one, while Colorado looked crisper after being called out by Avalanche coach Jared Bednar.

Brandon Saad of Colorado put in an easy goal to give the Avs a 1-0 lead, but Marchessault tied it at one a little more than five minutes later at 7:07 of period one.

At the end of one period: Vegas 1 Colorado 1

They came early, getting beers at Park MGM, eating pizza at the Eataly and packing Beerhaus in the 108-degree heat that cooked the Strip and the plaza outside T-Mobile Arena Sunday.

LVSportsBiz.com cruised The Park, which leads to T-Mobile Arena, a venue that is expected to be packed again with more than 17,500 insane fans that went crazy two days ago when the Vegas Golden Knights climbed back in this Best-of-7 showdown with a 3-2 rally win over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3.

There were Colorado fans sprinkled among the hundreds of fans in bars and hotels near the arena. It was intensely hot for the team sponsors on the plaza, but the folks from Lexus and William Hill had their tents up and were talking to anyone willing to stop by their tables.