The Golden Knights did not lose Game 2 because the series got weird. They lost it because the margin stayed thin and Utah won the last clean moment.
Utah beat Vegas 3-2 on Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena to even the first-round series 1-1. The Mammoth scored once in each period and left town with a split before the series shifts to Salt Lake City.
Mark Stone opened the scoring on the power play at 11:42 of the first, finishing a setup from Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner. Utah tied it at 16:59 when MacKenzie Weegar scored unassisted, and the night stayed on that tight track.
Dylan Guenther put Utah ahead at 14:56 of the second off a Kailer Yamamoto assist, but Ivan Barbashev answered at 15:58 off an Eichel feed to make it 2-2. Logan Cooley broke it at 14:00 of the third, scoring the winner with helpers from Guenther and Yamamoto. Carter Hart finished with 27 saves on 30 shots.
Yesterday’s games
Lightning answer back in OT
Tampa Bay beat Montreal 3-2 in overtime in Game 2 to tie the series 1-1.
Brandon Hagel scored early, Lane Hutson tied it on the power play, and Josh Anderson put Montreal ahead late in the second. Nikita Kucherov tied it in the third, then J.J. Moser ended it at 12:48 of overtime.
Bruins punch back hard
Boston beat Buffalo 4-2 in Game 2 to tie the series 1-1, and it flipped fast in the second period.
Viktor Arvidsson scored twice, Morgan Geekie added one, and Pavel Zacha struck on the power play late in the second to make it 3-0. Buffalo got third-period goals from Bowen Byram and Peyton Krebs, but never got the game within one.
Avalanche take full control
Colorado beat Los Angeles 2-1 in overtime in Game 2 to take a 2-0 series lead, again winning a game that stayed tight until the end.
Artemi Panarin scored on a third-period power play to put the Kings ahead, but Gabriel Landeskog tied it at 16:25. Nicolas Roy ended it at 7:44 of overtime, and Colorado heads to Los Angeles up 2-0.
Tonight’s games
Penguins at Flyers
Philadelphia leads 2-0, and Game 3 is where Pittsburgh either pulls the series back into reach or starts running out of runway.
The Penguins need offense early, but they cannot get reckless chasing it. If the Flyers keep their structure, the pressure shifts quickly.
Stars at Wild
This series is tied 1-1, and it already looks like a matchup where the home team’s pace can swing the night.
Dallas found its edge in Game 2. Minnesota’s response has to start with cleaner layers and more time in the offensive zone.
Ducks at Oilers
Edmonton leads 1-0, but Game 1 showed Anaheim can turn this into a track meet if the Oilers leave space.
Connor McDavid changes every shift, but puck management is the hinge. If Edmonton cleans that up, it can take real control of the series.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
