NEW YORK (AP) — Jonathan Marchessault scored in the third round of the shootout and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the New York Rangers 3-2 Friday night for their season-high fourth straight victory.
Brett Howden had a goal and an assist and Dylan Coghlan also scored in regulation as Vegas won for the seventh time in eight games. Laurent Brossoit had 27 saves.
Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider each had a goal and assist in the second period for the Rangers, who lost for the fourth time in six games after a seven-game win streak. Alexander Georgiev, making his sixth start in place of injured starting goalie Igor Shesterkin, stopped 28 shots.
After Vegas' Nicolas Roy and Evgenii Dadonov and New York's Kaapo Kakko and Zibanejad were stopped in the first two rounds of the shootout, Marchessault broke through for the Golden Knights. Brossoit then denied Ryan Strome to preserve the win.
Both teams had chances in the 3-on-3 extra period. Brossoit stopped a shot by Strome with 3:33 left, and Georgiev denied two attempts by Max Pacioretty on a breakaway seven seconds later. Filip Chytil couldn't convert his chance with 43 seconds remaining, and Pacioretty was wide 15 seconds later.
The teams played tight for much of the third period, combing for just three shots on goal — two by Vegas — over the first 14 minutes. The Golden Knights finished the period with a 10-2 advantage.
Coghlan tied it 2-2 with 5:16 left on Vegas’ fifth shot of the third. After a faceoff in the offensive zone, the puck came to Coghlan, who fired a shot from the top of the right circle past a screened Georgiev.
The Rangers trailed 1-0 after 20 minutes, but picked up their intensity in the second. They scored twice to take the lead and played tighter defensively while outshooting the Golden Knights 11-4.
Zibanejad tied it 17 seconds in as he got a pass from Kreider on the left side in the neutral zone, brought the puck across the blue line and a fired a shot from beyond the left circle that went through Brossoit's legs for his seventh.
Kreider made it 2-1 midway through the period with his 11th power-play goal of the season, second-most in the NHL. Zibanejad sent a pass from the left side with the puck going between the skates of two Vegas defenders to Kreider at the right doorstep, and he quickly deflected it past Brossoit for his 18th of the season with 9:35 left.
Strome nearly doubled the lead, but his shot went off the post with 8:01 remaining.
The Golden Knights outshot the Rangers 12-9 in a fast-paced first period.
Zibanejad had a breakaway in the opening minute, but his attempt went off the stick of Vegas' Reilly Smith and was turned aside by Brossoit.
Howden, facing the Rangers for the first time since an offseason trade to Vegas, got the Golden Knights on the scoreboard at 6:49. William Carrier sent a pass to Howden streaking toward the net, and his first attempt was stopped by Georgiev. However, Howden backhanded the rebound for his third.
Brossoit made a pair of stellar saves in the closing seconds of the period to keep the Rangers off the scoreboard. First, he denied Julien Gauthier's tip try and then stopped a wraparound by Barclay Goodrow.
MILESTONES
Kreider got his 195th career goal, tying Don Maloney for 12th place on the franchise list. ... Georgiev made his 100th career start. ... Rangers C Greg McKegg appeared in his 200th game. ... Howden played in his 199th career game and D Brayden McNabb his 299th with Vegas.
SIDELINED
Shesterkin took part in the morning skate but missed his eighth straight game due to a lower-body injury. LW Artemi Panarin was also out after leaving in the second period of Wednesday night's win at Arizona. He is day to day. Filip Chytl — a healthy scratch against the Coyotes — took Panarin's spot in the lineup.
SEEING FAMILIAR FACES
Rangers coach Gerard Gallant and forward Ryan Reaves were facing their former team for the first time.
Gallant was the Golden Knights' original coach, when the franchise joined the league in 2017, until he was replaced by Peter DeBoer on Jan. 15, 2020. Reaves, acquired from Vegas in an offseason trade, had 18 goals and 24 assists in parts of four seasons with the Golden Knights..
Howden had 16 goals and 33 assists in three seasons with the Rangers.
UP NEXT
Golden Knights: At New York Islanders on Sunday to finish a four-game trip.
Rangers: Host Montreal on Wednesday night in the middle game of a three-game homestand spanning 11 days.
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