Jack Eichel scored with 2:16 left in overtime to give the Vegas Golden Knights a 6-5 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night at T-Mobile Arena, completing a rally from a two-goal deficit in the third period.
Eichel, who finished with four points, picked off a turnover and beat goaltender Joseph Woll with a backhand to extend Vegas’s winning streak to six games. The Golden Knights improved to 23-11-12.
The game featured a subplot of former Maple Leaf Mitch Marner facing his old team for the first time since signing an eight-year, $96 million contract with Vegas on July 1. Marner was booed every time he touched the puck by the many Toronto fans in attendance. He recorded two assists.
“I think once the puck dropped, it felt like another hockey game,” Marner said. “But you always want to beat your buddies.”
Toronto led 5-3 with 11 minutes left in regulation before Mark Stone scored his ninth goal in 10 games at 10:04 of the third period, cutting the lead to 5-4. Stone extended his point streak to 10 games.
With seven seconds remaining and an extra attacker on the ice, Tomas Hertl tied the game at 5-5, forcing overtime. The Knights had pulled goaltender Adin Hill, who made 23 saves in his first start since Oct. 20 due to a lower-body injury.
“It’s nice to get back-to-back wins in OT because we’ve been a lot on the losing side,” Hertl said.
Vegas also won in overtime on Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Kings. Pavel Dorofeyev scored twice on the power play for the Knights, but a would-be hat trick goal with 4:10 left in regulation was waved off due to offsides.
Toronto jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first period, chasing Hill early. The Maple Leafs, playing with emotion against their former teammate, kept the pressure on throughout.
Marner will face his former team again on Jan. 23 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
“We know how much it means to him. And because it means that much to him, it means that much to us, too,” Eichel said. “It meant a lot to us to get the win.”
