The Vegas Golden Knights let their guard down for about 30 seconds and it was enough for the Colorado Avalanch to win 3-2 on Saturday.
Vegas was in control of the game 2-1 and was the team applying the most pressure and recording the most shots on goal until the third period.
JT Compher tied the game by redirecting a shot past Laurent Brossoit and just 26 seconds later Nathan MacKinnon beat the speed keeper with a powerful one-timer shot to put his team ahead.
The Avalanche subsequently folded, and the Darcy Kuemper fortress held firm at the Vegas home. The goaltender stopped 34 pucks during the evening, yielding only to Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson. The latter equaled his personal best with a 14th goal this season.
Andre Burakovsky was the other scorer for the Avalanche which thus signed a third victory in a row.
Toffoli stands out
Tyler Toffoli and Mathew Tkachuk had a productive night for the Calgary Flames who defeated the Minnesota Wild 7-3.
The two forwards each scored two goals and added an assist in the victory for the Alberta team. The former Montreal Canadiens scored the first goal for his team to respond to the net of Frédérick Gaudreau.
In his 400th game on the Bettman circuit, Tkachuk later enjoyed himself with his 25th goal of the season. The Flames scored five unanswered goals to take a 5-1 lead after 40 minutes.
The Wild attempted a comeback in the third period with the nets of Nick Bjugstad and Kirill Kaprizov, but Tkachuk ended their hopes on a power play. Toffoli completed the scoring with 42 seconds to go.
Another goal for Danault
Phillip Danault found the back of the net to help the Los Angeles Kings claim their fifth straight win with a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders.
The Quebecer scored his 15th goal of the season to put his team in the lead in the fourth minute of play. The game was in favor of the Kings from start to finish. Matt Roy and Quinton Byfield added to the Kings lead before seeing Anders Lee put the Islanders on the board.
Brendan Lemieux restored a three-goal lead to his team afterwards. Jean-Gabriel Pageau flashed the red light, but there was little time left on the board in the third period. Trevor Moore put the finishing touches on an empty net.
Cal Petersen finished the game with 26 saves for the Kings.
Marchand takes care of the Sharks
Brad Marchand took charge of the San Jose Sharks in a 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins.
The striker ended his evening with a collection of three points, including two goals. He opened the scoring in the 15th minute of the first period with his 22nd goal of the campaign. He then responded to Timo Meier’s net early in the third period.
Marchand finally became an accomplice on Patrice Bergeron’s 14th goal this season.
James Reimer was still solid in front of his cage for the Sharks, repelling 34 pucks. Jeremy Swayman was much less busy in goal for the Bruins with 15 saves.
