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Story by Alan Snel Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell
The purple spotlight was on the NHL’s “Hockey fights cancer” night. It’s an annual endeavor. Players don purple-theme warmup jerseys. Fans are singled out for their courageous battle against the horrific ailment. And everyone from players to fans display signs to declare the names of people fighting cancer.
It’s an emotional night for anyone in T-Mobile Arena who has survived cancer. And it’s a daily battle.
LVSportsBiz.com wishes a Happy Thanksgiving to anyone moved by tonight’s cancer awareness activities.
As for the game between the Golden Knights and Ottawa Senators, the VGG jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a Mark Stone power play goal in the first period — his fifth goal in four games and his ninth overall on the season. Jack Eichel made a sweet no-look pass to set up the Stone goal, with Eichel registering his 15th assist of the campaign.
But Ottawa scored on VGK goalie Logan Thompson with only 15.6 seconds left in the first stanza.
Jake Sanderson, a 20-year-old from Whitefish, Montana, scored his first goal of his career and it was 1-1 after the first period. Jake is the son of 18-year veteran Geoff Sanderson.
Ottawa entered the game with a dismal 6-11-1 record for only 13 points, compared to the 15-4-1 Knights (31 points). But the Senators skated with Vegas, stride for stride and were actually outshooting the Knights, 24-23, late in the second period.
But a terrific individual effort by fourth line winger William Carrier gave the Knights a 2-1 lead with only 3:31 left in the middle stanza.
It was a nifty move and shot by Carrier to register his seventh goal of the season — impressive goal production from an original Misfit known for his skating speed and hard hits.
Here’s Carrier postgame comments.
And Brayden McNabb’s comments on Carrier’s surge in goal-scoring.
Early in the third period, William Karlsson made a nifty spin-o-rama move to whip a backhander past Ottawa’s goalie, Cam Talbot, to fatten the VGK lead to 3-1. It was Dollar Bill’s fifth goal of the season.
Eichel delivered the knockout blow with an empty-netter at 18:19 of the third period as the Knights held on to improve to 16-4-1 for 33 points this season. It was Eichel’s 11th of the season.
Here’s Thompson’s postgame comments on his performance between the pipes.
VGK coach Bruce Cassidy said after the win the team’s strength is its balance.
The VGK return to the Big Ice House by the Strip for games against Seattle on Friday at 5 PM and against Vancouver Saturday at 7 PM.