On The Strip, Jack Eichel hit for the game-winner for the Golden Knights with less than a minute to go in the extra session on Sunday for a 2-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets.
“I could hear the bench saying there wasn’t a whole lot of time left,” Eichel said. “I knew they had some tired bodies on the ice, so I wanted to challenge them. I wanted to get to my backhand side. I’m a little more dynamic that way. … I wanted to get a quick play to the net. I was able to get a step and find a way to score.”
The game was scoreless into the third period.
Adin Hill made 23 saves in the Vegas win.
Our top guys get a goal for us,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Tough for ‘Hillie’ right? He doesn’t see much. All of a sudden in the third period, now he has to be relied on. He gets paid to do his job, and he did it and did it well.”
With fresh ice in the third period, the Jets’ Adam Lowry scored to give them a 1-+0 lead.
“I pretty much told them after the second period it wasn’t going to get much uglier,” Winnipeg assistant Scott Arniel said. “We scored right away on the short shift.”
Mark Stone tied the game, 1-1, in the eighth minute of the third.
“Sometimes you see special play, but sometimes it’s the gross play (that gets past the goalie),” Stone said. “I kind of double-clutched and let a burger of a shot go on net. I just kind of swung away and it went in.”
Connor Hellebuyck made 46 saves in the Jets loss.
“He’s an outstanding goaltender,” Arniel said. “We don’t want to put him through this. We’re hoping we can build our defensive and all-around game so he doesn’t have to face so much rubber.”
Hellebuyck has been busy making 40 or more saves lately.
“Ideally, you don’t give up that many shots, but that’s my job back there to be around when I’m needed,” Hellebuyck said. “Two games I was needed. Fortunately, we got five out of six (points).”
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