The Vegas Golden Knights (19-7-3) took care of business on the road on Thursday night (Dec. 12), defeating the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 in an overtime thriller at Canada Life Center.
An Ivan Barbashev one-timer goal at 3:47 of overtime ended the back-and-forth affair. This extends the Golden Knights’ regular season win streak over the Jets (21-9-1) to eight games, a team-specific slump that stretches all the way back to March 22, 2022.
Game Recap
The Jets got things going just under halfway through the first period, as rookie forward Nikita Chibrikov scored his second goal in as many games since his call-up to make it 1-0. Chibrikov was in the perfect spot for the goal, rifling home a rebound from a Vladislav Namestnikov shot off of Golden Knights’ netminder Adin Hill. Chibrikov now has three goals in three career NHL games.
That score held until the early stages of the third period when Golden Knights’ forward Keegan Kolesar fired one past Connor Hellebuyck from the top of the right circle, tying the game 1-1. He took advantage of a loose puck that bounced over Kyle Connor’s stick, wiring it through a screen from Nicolas Roy.
An absolute rocket from Josh Morrissey at 10:55 of the third period electrified the Jets’ faithful, wiring one past Hill to restore the lead and make it 2-1. It was his third goal of the season and first goal in 20 games.
It appeared the Jets were on their way to a second straight victory, but Golden Knights’ forward Victor Olafsson wired home a cross-ice pass from Mark Stone to knot things up 2-2 with just over two minutes left in the third. The goal came on a two-man advantage with the goalie pulled, making it a six-on-three advantage at the time of the goal.
After a competitive overtime period, a Jets’ miscue by their bench led to a bad change and a break for the Golden Knights. It was off of that break that they sealed the win, with Shea Theodore setting up Barbashev for the winner. It was Theodore’s second helper of the night after also assisting on the tying goal late in the third.
Good Knight. 😏
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 13, 2024
Ivan Barbashev scores the @SUBWAYCanada OT winner for Vegas. pic.twitter.com/hgpqPX3twz
Hill came away with the win in net, making 18 saves on 20 shots for his 13th win of the season. Hellebuyck, who was under siege for most of the game, was charged with the loss, allowing three goals on 36 shots.
The Golden Knights now head West for a meeting with the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, Dec. 14, while the Jets await the visiting Montreal Canadiens on Saturday as well.
