Olofsson scores two goals to lead the way for VGK in road win over Wild

The Vegas Golden Knights bounced back from last night’s loss with a hard-fought win to wrap up their road trip.

This year’s VGK squad defeated the Minnesota Wild, 3-2, on Sunday, Dec. 15, at the Xcel Energy Center. Sunday’s matchup marked the end of a three-game road trip for the franchise while playing in the second half of a back-to-back.

“Winning the hockey game is what matters,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We found a way to make plays at the right time.”

With the win, Vegas improved their record to 20-8-3 for 43 points and are now 9-5-3 when playing on the road this season. The Knights also improved their lead to four points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings for first place in the Pacific Division.

Sunday’s game was the first of three meetings between Vegas and Minnesota this season. Their other two matchups will be at home on Jan. 12 and on the road on March 25.

“We played against three very good teams in the west,” Cassidy said. “We put ourselves in that category. We went out on the road and won. We checked well for the most part and didn’t spend a bunch of time in the penalty box. We played the right way and just now have to do it a little longer.”

Now the Knights will return back home for their next game against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, Dec. 19. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the T-Mobile Arena.

“We got to the finish line with two points, we did it in regulation,” Cassidy said. “I liked our third, didn’t like our second at all, and loved our first […] It was enough today, but we’re still striving for that 60 minutes.”

After surrendering a goal in the first period, VGK quickly evened the score just two minutes later when right-wing Victor Olofsson scored a goal with assists from defenseman Shea Theodore and center Jack Eichel.

Then in the second period, the Golden Knights took the lead when Theodore found the back of the net with help from Eichel and captain Mark Stone. That makes 18 assists this season for the 13-year veteran.

Theodore had a multi-point performance in the win with his goal and assist that increased his season total to 26 points.

Eichel also had a multi-point night with his two assists, which increased his team-high season total to 42 points. Sunday’s game also saw Eichel record his 200th point as a member of Vegas’ franchise.

“Time flies when you’re having fun,” he said. “It’s been an amazing time here with this organization. I had no idea, so it’s pretty cool.”

Later in the third period and the game tied, Olofsson lit the lamp again for the game-winning goal with assists from center William Karlsson and left-winger Pavel Dorofeyev.

Olofsson took home the Player of the Game honors after his two goal performance, which increased his season total to seven goals.

“It’s the same as I remember, it’s always been as good,” Eichel said. “[Olofsson] has a great shot obviously. He’s so lethal, he’s been super hot. He’s been scoring big goals for us and it’s been awesome to see.”

Karlsson’s game-winning assist was his eighth of the season.

“I liked this win,” Karlsson said. “Tough second after a great start, but we managed to find a way to win.”

Dorofeyev’s assist on the game-winner increased his season total to six assists.

“Going into the third period on the road here on a back-to-back, a lot of character from the group finding a way to get a goal and holding onto the lead,” Eichel said. “I’m happy to end it on a road trip and head home.”

Goalie Ilya Samsonov got the start at goalie for the Knights because they were on the back end of a back-to-back and regular starter Adin Hill played the night before.

“I think it’s a tough start for [Samsonov] in the back-to-back,” Cassidy said. “There’s just a way he didn’t get his normal time to prepare. So I like the fact that he went out of his way to make sure he was ready individually, and it showed. He was really good.”

At the final buzzer, Samsonov finished with 20 saves for a .909 save percentage and increased his record to 7-3-1 on the season.

“Tons of credit to Samsonov,” Eichel said. “He played great and made some huge saves. I thought the defense kept them away from the front of the net and we found a way to get two points.”

It wasn’t all good news for VGK though as center Ivan Barbashev left the game with an upper body injury and didn’t come back.

“We don’t play until Thursday,” Cassidy said. “We’ll return to Vegas tonight and then we’ll get a look at him tomorrow. We’ll probably get an idea of how that will play out.”