Coach Ryan Craig expected a good start and a sense of excitement for the Vegas Golden Knights veterans playing their first preseason game.
The start was slow. The excitement picked up in the second half, with the Knights completing the comeback in a 5-4 overtime win over the Utah Mammoth at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday.
Jack Eichel scored the game-winner 39 seconds into overtime.
The Knights rallied from 3-1 down in the third period with goals from defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and captain Mark Stone.
Utah defenseman Tomas Lavoie broke the tie with 1:31 remaining, but center Tomas Hertl tied it with a six-on-five goal with 26 seconds left.
Forward Victor Olofsson scored, and goaltender Adin Hill finished with 17 saves. Eichel and defenseman Shea Theodore had three points each.
The Knights dressed 17 of their 18 projected skaters for opening night. The lone difference was Jonas Rondbjerg playing for a second consecutive game. Rondbjerg, still fighting for a roster spot, skated at fourth-line left wing over Marc Gatcomb after the newcomer played the previous two games.
Fourteen of those players dressed for their first game since June 14 when they lost Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. NHL veterans want nothing more than to fast forward the preseason – no matter how short now – and get to real action.
The Knights looked like that dominant team early on. Center Jack Eichel drew a hooking penalty 45 seconds into the game. The new-look power play generated some chances and gave a look at how Craig wants to operate the man advantage. It’s going to take a lot of movement and trial-and-error against NHL-quality penalty kills, but there was promise.
Olofsson gave the Knights a 1-0 lead on a one-timer from the right circle at 9:38, a reminder that the three-time 20-goal scorer can shoot the puck and will fill the void left behind from Pavel Dorofeyev.
But as the first period wore on, it looked like a team that hadn’t played a meaningful game in three months and has yet to play a preseason game. The Knights looked out of sorts. Decision making was subpar. Passing was sloppy, especially on a turnover from Ivan Barbashev that led to a putback goal from Utah forward Liam O’Brien to give the Mammoth a 2-1 lead.
Utah scored twice in 40 seconds, starting with a power-play goal from defenseman Zac Jones.
The Knights got to their game in the second, but didn’t have an answer for Utah goaltender Sebastian Cossa, finishing with 30 saves.
The Knights wrap up the preseason Saturday at home against the San Jose Sharks. Don’t expect much to change in terms of the lineup, but it’s safe to expect a better to-minute effort.
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
