Rantanen scores OT winner, Avs up 2-0 in series vs. Knights
Mikko Rantanen scored a power-play goal 2:07 into overtime, Philipp Grubauer outdueled fellow Vezina Trophy finalist Marc-Andre Fleury and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 to take a 2-0 lead in their second-round playoff series.
Minus coaching staff, Vegas loses to Blues 5-4 in shootout
CORRECTS TO SHOOTOUT, INSTEAD OF OVERTIME - St. Louis Blues center Brayden Schenn (10) scores on Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner (90) in the shootout of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)LAS VEGAS โ Missing all their coaches, Max Pacioretty and the Vegas Golden Knights still managed to earn a point. David Perron and Brayden Schenn scored in a shootout Tuesday to give the St. Louis Blues a 5-4 victory over Vegas. Pacioretty got his seventh career hat trick for the Golden Knights, who were without their entire coaching staff because of COVID-19 concerns. The Golden Knights were 1 for 6 with a man advantage and are 3 of 26 (11.5%) this season.
NHLs final four have gotten deeper with plenty of newcomers
Chandler Stephenson won a Stanley Cup title two seasons ago with the Washington Capitals, the team he was still playing with at the start of this season. He was fired by San Jose in December and hired a month later after the Golden Knights parted ways with Gerard Gallant, the coach who took them to the Stanley Cup final in their inaugural season two years ago. Tampa Bay's free-agent additions last summer were Maroon and veteran defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, then defenseman Zach Bogosian became available in February when Buffalo terminated the 12-year veteran's contract. I think guys like Patty (Maroon), guys like Barclay, they kind of allow us to play with our chests a little bit puffed out. New York hasn't been to a Stanley Cup final since 1984, a year after winning its fourth title in a row.
Canucks cruise to 5-2 win over Vegas, even series 1-1
Tanner Pearson also scored for Vancouver, and Jacob Markstrom stopped 38 shots including 21 in the second period. It was the first game back for Toffoli since the first game of the qualifying round against Minnesota on Aug. 2. Toffoli, standing behind the net, delivered a tape-to-tape pass to an incoming Horvat, who blasted it past Lehner. Horvat scored his second goal by taking Brock Boeser's backhanded pass in front and tucking it past Lehner for his eighth playoff goal. Pearson added the final Vancouver goal into an empty net.