Golden Knights answer every Blackhawks push in 5-2 win at T-Mobile Arena

Vegas built the lead before Chicago found a reply

Vegas established the shape of the game in the opening period. Victor Olofsson opened the scoring at 10:30 on a snap shot, with Eichel and Shea Theodore drawing the assists, and Trevor Connelly doubled the lead at 15:22 when he finished a tip-in off feeds from Brayden McNabb and Theodore.

That early cushion mattered because Chicago never reached level terms. The Blackhawks cut into the deficit in the second period when Jordan Greenway scored at 12:23 on a wrist shot set up by Ryan Greene and Wyatt Kaiser. For a few minutes, that gave Chicago a path back into the game.

Vegas shut that window quickly. Eichel restored the two-goal margin at 15:12 of the second, beating the Blackhawks with a snap shot after support from Ivan Barbashev and McNabb. Instead of carrying a one-goal game into the third, Chicago was back to chasing a 3-1 scoreline.

The numbers fit the flow on the scoreboard. Vegas finished with a 37-26 edge in shots, won 56.9 per cent of the faceoffs and outhit Chicago 22-13. None of those totals guarantees control on its own, but together they underline how often the Golden Knights kept the Blackhawks working from behind.

A 39-second answer ended Chicago's best chance

Chicago's sharpest push came early in the third. Patrick Kane scored unassisted at 4:04, trimming the Vegas lead to 3-2 and turning the game into its most unsettled stretch. After spending most of the night trying to climb back, the Blackhawks had finally forced the margin down to a single goal for the second time.

The level of danger in that moment came from the timing more than anything else. Chicago had a full period in front of it, and Kane's finish offered the kind of spark that can change the rest of a night even without a long rally behind it.

Vegas answered almost immediately. Noah Hanifin scored just 39 seconds later, at 4:43, on a wrist shot assisted by Nic Dowd and Marc Gatcomb. That sequence was the decisive emotional and tactical reset of the game: every bit of pressure Chicago created with Kane's goal vanished before it could build into a sustained chase.

Mark Stone added the final goal at 17:27 of the third on a slap shot from Eichel and Barbashev. By then, Vegas had done what strong home teams aim to do after a scare: absorb the brief surge, restore separation and leave no late doubt in the result.

Our take: Vegas had the finish and the timing

Eichel was the clearest difference-maker. He scored once and assisted on two more, directly contributing to three of Vegas's five goals. Theodore and McNabb each supplied two assists from the back end, while Barbashev added a pair of helpers up front. That spread matters. Chicago could not key on one isolated scorer because Vegas kept getting involvement from several parts of the lineup.

The goaltending line also favoured the Golden Knights. Carter Hart stopped 24 of 26 shots for a .923 save percentage, while Spencer Knight made 32 saves on 36 shots for Chicago. Knight kept the Blackhawks close enough to push back twice, but Hart finished the cleaner statistical night and Vegas gave him the larger offensive cushion.

For Chicago, the missed opportunity sits in the details around support rather than effort alone. Greenway and Kane scored, and Greenway's five shots showed one of the more active Blackhawks nights in the attacking end. But Chicago went 0-for-2 on the power play, lost the faceoff battle and generated 11 fewer shots than Vegas. When a team is trailing for most of the evening, those margins make every response harder to sustain.

Vegas, meanwhile, paired its shot advantage with better special-teams output, going 1-for-3 on the power play. The Golden Knights also handled the key moments more ruthlessly. Every time Chicago threatened to turn the game, Vegas supplied the next answer. In a 5-2 result, that is the defining trait: not only the ability to score, but the ability to score at the exact moment the game asks for it.

Scoring moments

1. 1st · 10:30

   Victor Olofsson Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Jack Eichel (1), Shea Theodore (1)

2. 1st · 15:22

   Trevor Connelly Goal (1) Tip-In, assists: Brayden McNabb (1), Shea Theodore (2)

3. 2nd · 12:23

   Jordan Greenway Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Ryan Greene (1), Wyatt Kaiser (1)

4. 2nd · 15:12

   Jack Eichel Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Ivan Barbashev (1), Brayden McNabb (2)

5. 3rd · 4:04

   Patrick Kane Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: none

6. 3rd · 4:43

   Noah Hanifin Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Nic Dowd (1), Marc Gatcomb (1)

7. 3rd · 17:27

   Mark Stone Goal (1) Slap Shot, assists: Jack Eichel (2), Ivan Barbashev (2)