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Story by Alan Snel Photos by Hugh Byrne
Today’s Golden Knights vs Columbus Blue Jackets game is made available thanks to the hard-working arena conversion workers at T-Mobile Arena who transformed the venue from a VGK hockey game Thursday night to a Bruce Springsteen concert Friday night and back for tonight’s VGK game.
The hockey rink boards were left intact for the concert with the exception of the section by the Springsteen concert stage, while the bottom bowl sections on the stage side of the arena retracted. The conversion process from hockey to concert began immediately after the VGK win over Seattle Thursday night.
This is the last game of a homestand for the Knights as the VGK embark on a road trip to St. Louis, Nashville, Winnipeg and Minnesota with playoff repercussions at stake with each game. The Knights occupy the eighth and final postseason berth in the Western Conference.
Just the facts: Vegas Golden Knights 4 Columbus Blue Jackets 1
Golden Knights goal scorers: Ivan Barbashev scored his 15th in the second period to tie the game at one before Jack Eichel picked up a rebound and fired the puck into the net past Columbus goalie Daniil Tarasov a few minutes later. It was Eichel’s 23rd. In period three, Pavel Dorofeyev scored his tenth of the season to extend the Vegas lead to 3-1. Eichel scored his second of the game on a power play in the third. Columbus scored with 11.9 seconds left in the game to complete the scoring.
Story line: After a low-key, uninspiring first period, the Knights came out in period two and took a 2-1 lead thanks to outshooting Columbus by a stunning 23-3 count. VGK goalie Adin Hill left the game with an apparent injury and went down the tunnel and Logan Thompson came into the game in the third period. Daniil Tarasov, the Columbus goalie, played well, stopping 43 of 47 VGK shots.
Attendance: 18,225
Golden Knights record: 38-25-7 for 83 points, occupying the second wild card position in the Western Conference and fourth place in the Pacific Division.
VGK next game: Against Blues in St. Louis on Monday.