Four straight goals including three-goal second puts VGK back in win column

Vegas goalie Ilya Samsonov is greeted by teammates following a, 5-2, win over Philadelphia Thursday night. Photo Credit: Zak Krill / Getty Images

Even as the Vegas Golden Knights’ win streak ended, the team closed 2024 and opened 2025 atop the Pacific Division.

The club got its first win of the new year with a, 5-2, win over the Philadelphia Flyers Thursday, Jan. 2 from the T-Mobile Arena. Now, Vegas has a 5-0-1 mark in the last six head-to-head meetings against the Eastern Conference mainstay.

“Very rarely is your whole team clicking at the same time,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We got going. [That top line] are the guys who're going to start it, those are the guys we lean on to get us going and get us excited.”

This year’s VGK group has now won seven of its last eight games while improving its overall record to 26-9-3 on the year with 55 points. Its lead in the Pacific Division is six points over the Los Angeles Kings.

Thursday’s win also pushed the team’s home record to 16-4-0 this season with this four-game homestand set to wrap up this weekend.

Saturday will mark the conclusion of the homestand as Vegas welcomes in Buffalo for a 7 p.m. puck drop.

“Kind of at that point in the year where we are in the standings some teams are looking at us saying, ‘We’re going into their building, we better be ready to play,’” Cassidy said. “I assume some teams are saying that. We have to own that. We’ve earned that respect around the league but you’ve got to be prepared every night. You’re not going to get too many easy passes.”

Golden Knights goaltender Ilya Samsonov is rolled over in between the pipes during the first period of Thursday night’s game against the Flyers. Photo Credit: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Goalie Ilya Samsonov had to shake off an early goal and some early cobwebs to help preserve the win. Philadelphia opened the night’s scoring with a goal 21 seconds after the initial puck drop.

“There wasn’t a ton going on in the first period,” captain Mark Stone said. “We gave up an early goal on a not great defensive play by us.”

While the first period began with a bang for the visitors, it included another bang for Samsonov. He was bowled over inside the net which resulted in a goalie interference call.

That would bring up a power play opportunity that Vegas was not able to capitalize on. Ultimately, it served as the team’s lone power play chance of the night.

“That’s kind of been a trend all year,” left-wing Tanner Pearson said. “Even when we haven’t been our best, our goalies have helped us out. Big time, making timely saves and keeping up in striking range.”

After going into the first intermission down a goal, the Golden Knights exploded in the second period for three goals on the way to four straight. It’s the team’s fourth three-goal period in the last six games.

“Guys know we can be better,” Pearson said. “We came in here and talked about it and started off the period really well and it continued from there.”

Vegas’ Nicolas Hague slaps home a goal during the team’s first win of the new yer against Philadelphia from inside the T-Mobile Arena. Photo Credit: Zak Krill / Getty Images

Stone got things back even with a goal 51 seconds into the second period. Not even a minute and a half later, teammate Nicolas Hague gave the team its first lead of the night.

Both goals came on the Knights’ first two shots on goal in the second period.

“What did he have, four shots in the first period?” Pearson asked. “That’s pretty self-explanatory. That’s not going to cut it.”

Just before the conclusion of the second period, left-wing Pavel Dorofeyev lit the lamp off assists from defensemen Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore.

Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb looks to wrestle the puck away as teammate Ilya Samsonov watches on from inside the net. Photo Credit: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

VGK defensemen accounted for six of the team’s 14 points including two assists from Noah Hanifin. After assisting on Stone’s goal, he helped right-wing Alexander Holtz score the team’s fourth straight goal early in the third period.

“We pride ourselves on the backend,” Hague said. “Obviously, playing good defense first but I think we have six capable guys that can jump up in plays and contribute offensively as well.”

Holtz would later leave the game favoring his right leg.

Hanifin, on the other hand, would commit one of two third period Vegas penalties, one of which was scored on during the Flyers’ power play.

Prior to that goal being surrendered, Samsonov had stopped 19 straight Philadelphia shots. His final stat line read 23 saves for a final save percentage of .920 as he improved his record to 10-3-1 this season.

“He’s been great,” Hague said. “He’s been playing great for us when he goes in there. Couldn’t be happier — he made some huge saves tonight. When we did have a breakdown, he was there for us and that’s the kind of stuff that really lifts the group.”