The Vegas Golden Knights needed a win, and they got one Wednesday night at T-Mobile Arena, defeating the Vancouver Canucks 5-2. But the scoreline doesn’t tell the full story of a game that hung in the balance until goaltender Akira Schmid made a spectacular diving glove save.
With the Knights leading 3-1 midway through the second period, Vancouver’s Pierre-Olivier Joseph had an open net after Schmid got tangled with players in the crease. Schmid lunged across, snatching the puck out of the air with his glove, a save that drew comparisons to the year’s best.
“Not much,” said Schmid when asked what was going through his mind. “I kind of got stuck there. You just got to throw whatever you have over there, and lucky enough, I got the puck.”
The save kept the Knights ahead, and they added two more goals in the third period from Alexander Holtz and Pavel Dorofeyev. The win snapped a five-game losing streak that had plagued the team.
“It’s a huge save,” said Jack Eichel. “He’s done a great job for us. Sometimes it’s a timely one, and that was a timely one for us. Tons of credit to him.”
The officials reviewed the play to ensure Schmid’s glove hadn’t crossed the goal line. Schmid admitted he was nervous at first, but after seeing the replay he knew “it wasn’t even close for the puck to go in.”
Coach Bruce Cassidy praised the save’s impact: “Big saves get everyone going. The bench gets excited. Obviously, the people on the ice because there’s been a breakdown so they know the goalie had their back and they can move on.”
Schmid finished with 21 saves, improving to 16 wins on the season, a career high. The Knights (26-16-14) now head into the Winter Olympic break, with Schmid set to represent Switzerland. They have one more game Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings at T-Mobile Arena.
“You want to go into the break with some confidence,” Schmid said. “We have another game coming up here. That’s huge for us.”
Up next
Who: Kings at Golden Knights
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: T-Mobile Arena
TV: KMCC-34
Radio: KFLG 94.7 FM/KKGK 1340 AM
Line: Knights -150; total 6
