Jack Eichel scored 39 seconds into overtime Thursday night as the Vegas Golden Knights rallied for a 5-4 preseason win over the Utah Mammoth at T-Mobile Arena.
Vegas trailed 3-1 entering the third period and 4-3 with less than two minutes remaining. Tomas Hertl forced overtime with 28 seconds left before Eichel ended it on the first shift of the extra period.
The win moved the Golden Knights to 3-0 in the preseason. Eichel finished with a goal and two assists, while Shea Theodore recorded three assists.
Utah steals the first
Victor Olofsson gave Vegas the early lead at 9:38 of the first period. Theodore picked up the assist on Olofsson’s first goal of the preseason.
Utah answered late. Zac Jones tied the game with a power-play goal at 18:21, then Liam O’Brien scored just 40 seconds later to put the Mammoth ahead 2-1.
Kevin Stenlund assisted on both Utah goals as the Mammoth turned a one-goal deficit into a lead before the first intermission.
Head coach Ryan Craig said the Knights showed some rust with much of the veteran group playing its first exhibition game.
“You could tell our guys hadn’t played a game,” Craig said.
Still, Craig saw improvement as the night continued.
“As the game went on, you know, we made more plays,” Craig said. “We were able to handle the puck a little bit more.”
Vegas pushes, Utah scores
The Golden Knights controlled the shot count in the second period, outshooting Utah 11-4. However, they could not beat Sebastian Cossa.
Instead, Artem Duda scored at 14:06 to extend Utah’s lead to 3-1. Jack McBain and Kailer Yamamoto assisted on the goal.
Vegas entered the third needing to erase a two-goal deficit despite holding a 19-12 advantage in shots through two periods.
Eichel said the Knights created more sustained offense during the second period, even though they could not turn those chances into goals.
Comeback turns chaotic
Jeremy Lauzon started the comeback at 5:19 of the third period. Noah Hanifin and Nic Dowd assisted as Vegas cut the deficit to 3-2.
The Golden Knights then converted on the power play. Mark Stone scored at 13:06 from Eichel and Theodore to tie the game 3-3.
Utah moved back in front when Tomas Lavoie scored with 1:31 remaining. Stenlund earned his third assist of the night, while Jones added his second point.
Hertl answered with 28 seconds left, finishing a setup from Mitch Marner and Eichel to make it 4-4 and send the game to overtime.
The extra period barely started before it ended. Stone and Theodore set up Eichel, who beat Cossa 39 seconds into overtime for the 5-4 win.
The late sequence also gave Vegas work in several situations the team has emphasized during training camp.
“Overtime was something that you know we we struggled with a bit last year,” Eichel said.
Craig said the preseason game gave the Knights opportunities to work through situations they had discussed before taking the ice.
“Just a game that we got a lot out of, I would say, tonight,” Craig said.
Vegas finished with a 35-21 advantage in shots and won 51.6 percent of the faceoffs. The Golden Knights went 1-for-4 on the power play, while Utah finished 1-for-2.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Las Vegas Aces, 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.
