Mark Stone overtime winner came 25 seconds into overtime, lifting the Vegas Golden Knights to a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena.
Stone buried the game winner on the Golden Knights’ first shift of overtime, converting a perfect feed from Jack Eichel, who stayed with the puck while falling behind the net before sliding the pass to the top of the crease. The goal extended Stone’s goal streak to eight games, a franchise record, and pushed Vegas to 22-11-12 with 56 points, giving the Golden Knights a two-point cushion atop the Pacific Division.
Survive the storm early
Vegas did not have its legs early, but it had its goaltender.
The Kings controlled much of the first period, outshooting and outskating the Golden Knights, but Akira Schmid kept the game level with sharp saves through traffic and from in tight. Schmid turned aside several point-blank looks as Vegas managed just five shots in the opening 20 minutes but escaped the period tied.
“We got to it eventually,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “They started on time, we didn’t. Akira made saves early to keep us in it when we weren’t very good early.”
Bowman breaks through
Vegas flipped the game in the second period by getting back to its forecheck and net-front game.
Rookie Braeden Bowman opened the scoring at 3:56, finishing a quick touch from Eichel after a turnover below the goal line. It was Bowman’s sixth goal of the season and his first since Dec. 2, snapping a 17-game drought.
“He’s around the front of the net, that’s where he’s scored all his goals,” Cassidy said. “He’s got good hands and courage, and he’s willing to go there. Jack got him the puck in a good spot and he finished.”
Schmid remained steady at the other end as the Golden Knights carried play for long stretches of the period.
Special teams swing it
Los Angeles tied the game early in the third, but Vegas answered with its power play.
After Shea Theodore drew a penalty with a strong entry at the blue line, Mitch Marner restored the lead at 12:07, walking into the right circle and snapping a wrist shot through traffic. Stone and Eichel earned assists on the goal as the Golden Knights regained control.
“I had some time to decide,” Marner said. “I saw both guys go to Hertl and Barbashev, so I walked in and picked my spot.”
Vegas appeared poised to close it out, but the Kings pulled even with 1:27 remaining during six-on-five play, forcing overtime in a game that had felt tight all night.
One play decides it
Overtime did not last long.
Eichel disrupted Los Angeles’ rush, circled behind the net while being hooked, and stayed with the puck long enough to find Stone alone at the crease. Stone finished into an open net to seal it.
“You could tell Jack’s will in overtime,” Cassidy said. “He stayed with it and made a hell of a play to Stony.”
Stone called it simple.
“He got tripped, got up right away, stayed with it, and it was a pretty easy goal for me,” he said.
The win marked Vegas’ fifth straight and its 19th game decided in overtime, tied with Los Angeles for the most in the NHL. Stone finished with a goal and an assist, Eichel recorded three assists, and Schmid stopped 22 shots in another calm, controlled performance.
“We’re getting back to our game,” Cassidy said. “When teams push now, we’re settling it instead of letting one goal turn into two or three.”
Up next for the Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights continue their homestand Thursday when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs at T-Mobile Arena with puck drop set for 7 p.m. PT.
Vegas then welcomes the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, Jan. 19, at 8 p.m. EST (5 p.m. PT). The Flyers enter the matchup at 22-15-8, while the Golden Knights sit at 22-11-12 and remain atop the Pacific Division.
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