3 takeaways: Big 2nd period propels Knights past Canadiens — PHOTOS
The Golden Knights were due for a goal at some point.
They got one. Then came two, three, four and five.
The Knights found the back of the net five times in the second period, three of them coming in a two-minute span, as they cruised to a 6-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre on Saturday.
Eleven players registered a point in the frame, tying a franchise record. Center Jack Eichel, left wing Ivan Barbashev and defenseman Noah Hanifin had two points each in the period.
“I thought it was a lot of good things,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “It wasn’t just luck. Once you get a lead like that, you should be able to finish the job, and we did.”
Right wing Cal Burke, 29, scored his first NHL goal, and center Tomas Hertl scored for the Knights (13-6-2), who improved to 2-1-0 during a season-long five-game road trip. Goaltender Adin Hill carried a shutout into the third period and finished with 15 saves.
The Knights peppered Montreal goaltender Sam Montembeault with 12 shots in the first period, but the goalie stood tall. Montembeault was coming off a 30-save shutout at home against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
The dam broke in the second period.
Hertl opened the scoring at 4:39 of the frame when defenseman Brayden McNabb found him for a one-timer at the far post.
The Knights added three goals in a span of 2:17. Burke scored at 8:18 on a one-timer from the slot, then Barbashev scored 51 seconds later on a give-and-go with Eichel.
Left wing Tanner Pearson finished a drop pass from Hanifin 1:26 later to make it 4-0.
Right wing Keegan Kolesar capped off the frame at 17:02 to make it 5-0.
“Just our style of play to wear teams down,” Kolesar said. “We’re able to capitalize on a couple of mistakes they made. We just had a nose to the net. A lot of the goals were in tight and around the net.”
The Knights outshot Montreal 13-2 in the second period, tying a team record for fewest shots allowed in a period while on the road.
Montreal (7-11-2) got two goals back in the third, but the Knights had already eased off the gas.
The Knights return to the U.S. to continue their road trip Monday in Philadelphia.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
1. Eichel’s pace
It was another night at the office for the Knights’ No. 1 center.
Eichel had a goal and two assists to push him over 30 points, becoming the fastest player in Knights history to reach that mark.
The center scored for the second straight game with a garbage-time goal with 1:48 remaining.
Eichel reached the 25-assist mark, joining Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon as the only skaters to hit that number at this point in the season. Eichel is 12 assists from tying his total of 37 last season.
2. Burke playing well
Since making his Knights debut Wednesday in Toronto, Burke has been noticeable.
His ability to hang on to the puck was a strength during training camp. He’s shown assertiveness with the puck on his stick. He’s not afraid to shoot it. That play was rewarded when Burke was moved to the top line in the second period.
Moments later, he scored his goal.
“To score the first goal assisted by Eichel and Barbashev is pretty good,” Burke said. “Barbie had a pretty good pass, served it up on a platter for me.”
Cassidy said Burke’s play along the walls makes him a fit for that line. He knows his objective — get the puck off the wall and center it to Eichel. Alexander Holtz has struggled in that department.
“He can disrupt, and he has decent hockey IQ,” Cassidy said of Burke.
Burke was recalled from the Silver Knights because the Golden Knights have needed a 12th forward with captain Mark Stone still day to day with a lower-body injury. He’s making the most of his opportunity right now, which may include more top-line minutes the rest of this trip.
“We need to balance our lines,” Cassidy said. “(We) moved Burke up, and it worked out well.”
3. Hague’s return
Defenseman Nic Hague returned to the lineup after missing the past eight games with an undisclosed injury.
It’s unclear if the injury was related to a lower-body ailment that kept Hague out from Oct. 26 to Nov. 1. Hague returned for the Nov. 2 game against Utah but hadn’t played since.
Hague’s return stabilizes the Knights’ blue line to an extent. They were without Alex Pietrangelo (upper body) for the second straight game, and he remains day-to-day. Hague had one shot in 15:09.
“He’s just going to have to play catch-up,” Cassidy said of Hague. “I think his defending will be fine. The touches, when you’re out of the game for a while, the speed of the game you can’t replicate it in practice, and we’re not practicing a lot right now.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.