Story by Alan Snel Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell
Just the facts: Vegas Golden Knights 2 Ottawa Senators 1
VGK goal scorers: Jonathan Marchessault (24) Jack Eichel (3)
Knights record: 32-20-4 for 68 points
Storyline: Jack Eichel scores game-winner with five seconds left on a power play
Attendance: 17,909
*
Before the Vegas Golden Knights depart from T-Mobile Arena to make way for the Pac-12 college basketball tourney, they had some last-minute business.
Like squeezing in a 5 PM hockey game with the Ottawa Senators.
It marked the return of goal-scoring winger Max Pacioretty, teamed with super-center Jack Eichel and Nic Roy.
VGK winger Evgenii Dadonov just didn’t click with Eichel, so he was demoted to the fourth line with Jake Leschyshyn and Keegan Kolesar.
Hard-hitting defenseman Brayden McNabb is injured and out of the lineup today.
A former VGK defenseman, Nick Holden, now a defenseman for the Ottawa Senators, received a nice video tribute. Like many former Knights, Holden was a good guy.
Waiting for the Knights to score their first goal of the game were the fans in John Baratta’s old lower-bowl corner section. Baratta, who looked like pro wrestling’s The Hulk, died two years ago. LVSportsBiz did this story in March 2020 to remember Baratta.
Fans in Baratta’s old section wore his yellow and red shirts, which he used to rip after the Knights scored a goal.
That goal did not happen in a scoreless first period. The Knights peppered Ottawa goalie Anton Forsberg with 17 shots on goal, while the Senators produced 15 SoG.
*
Golden Knights majority owner Bill Foley has a new restaurant, Craggy Range Sports Bar & Grill, at his new Dollar Loan Center arena in Henderson, which will have a watch party March 13 when Foley’s Golden Knights play the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday, March 13, for a game at 4PM PT/Vegas time.
The arena will host the Big West college basketball tournament. Quiz: name a team from the Big West league.
*
The John Baratta Hulk shirts were ripped when Jonathan Marchessault broke in on a breakaway and snapped a wrist shot past Forsberg in period two 6:46 into the middle stanza.
VGK 1 Ottawa 0.
The lead didn’t last long.
Brady Tkachuk scored his 18th goal and it was 1-1 at 8:53.
And that’s how period two ended with both clubs tied at one apiece.
*
In between the second period, VGK fan Mike Hewitt got a Zamboni ride.
In the third period, both teams continued to pile up a lot of shots. But they were not high-quality scoring chances. The Knights finished with 42 shots on goal, while Ottawa had 40.
But with five seconds to go in regulation and the Knights on a power play, Eichel fired a wicked wrister into the back of the net and the Golden Knights showed some fire and emotions in the celebration. Max Pacioretty practically tackled Eichel to the ice in the celebration.
The Golden Knights squeezed two points out of this game to improve to 32-20-4 for 68 points, while Ottawa dropped to 19-31-5 for 43 points.
PSA