Golden Knights Use Dominant Second Period To Beat Blue Jackets 4-2

By Coby Maeir on March 24, 2024 at 1:08 am
Columbus Blue Jackets center Brendan Gaunce (16) grabs ahold of Vegas Golden Knights right wing Jonathan Marchessault (81) as Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Ben Hutton (17) joins the play during the first period at T-Mobile Arena.
© Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
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Despite 43 saves from Daniil Tarasov, the Vegas Golden Knights dominated the Blue Jackets at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, winning 4-2 on Saturday. 

  1 2 3 F
BLUE JACKETS 1 0 1 2
VGK GOLDEN KNIGHTS 0 2 2 4

1st Period

Erik Gudbranson opened the scoring at 4:32 with his fifth goal of the season when his right-point shot deflected off of Brayden McNabb at the goalmouth and flipped over Adin Hill and in. With the assist on the goal, Zach Werenski moved into second place all-time on the franchise's assist list. 

The Blue Jackets led 1-0 after 20 minutes while outshooting the Golden Knights 10-8.   

2nd Period

Ivan Barbashev tied the game at 3:31 off a faceoff where Barbashev's first shot attempt was blocked but his second attempt from the slot beat Daniil Tarasov.

Jack Eichel recorded his 500th career point at 4:57 off a rebound from the bottom of the left circle to give Vegas a 2-1 lead after Kirill Marchenko hit the post on the other end. 

The Golden Knights led 2-1 after 40 minutes and took a 31-13 advantage in shots on goal into the third period.

3rd Period

Pavel Dorofeyev doubled Vegas' lead at 3:03 after making a nice move around Tarasov at the right doorstep. 

Logan Thompson replaced Hill in the Vegas net after Hill left the game in discomfort at 16:00. 

Eichel scored his second of the night with a left-circle wrist shot on the power play at 17:18. 

Carson Meyer scored his first goal of the season when he cleaned up a rebound at the right doorstep at 19:48. 

With the 4-2 loss, the Blue Jackets fell to 23-36-12. 

Stats

  • Shots on Goal: CBJ 21-47 VGK
  • Face-off %: CBJ 54-46 VGK
  • Power play: CBJ 0/1-1/2 VGK
  • Giveaways: CBJ 8-8 VGK
  • Takeaways: CBJ 5-9 VGK
  • Blocked shots: CBJ 22-13 VGK
  • Hits: CBJ 36-17 VGK
  • 5-on-5 stats (via naturalstattrick.com):
    • Expected Goals (xG): CBJ 1.02-3.36 VGK
    • Shot Attempts (CF): CBJ 38-83 VGK
    • Shots on Goal (SF): CBJ 19-45 VGK
    • Scoring Chances (SCF): CBJ 17-43 VGK
    • High-Danger Chances (HDCF): CBJ 5-9 VGK

Injury Update

  • Adam Boqvist is out with an upper-body injury sustained on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators. There is no timetable for his return. 
  • Sean Kuraly is week-to-week with a lower-body injury sustained on Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens.
  • Yegor Chinakhov is day-to-day with an upper-body injury he suffered during Tuesday's against the Canadiens. 
  • Justin Danforth suffered a concussion on Mar. 7. There is no timetable for his return.
  • Kent Johnson has been placed on injured reserve with a torn labrum in his left shoulder that will sideline him for the remainder of the season. He underwent successful surgery on March 7 and is expected to make a full recovery in six months.
  • Patrik Laine entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on Jan. 28 and will be away from the team indefinitely.
  • Adam Fantilli suffered a calf laceration on Jan. 28 and is expected to miss eight weeks.

Next Up

The Blue Jackets will continue their road trip in Arizona on Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.

They'll conclude their road trip in Pittsburgh against the Penguins on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.

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