Golden Knights overpower Sabres in final game before break
As a sentimental nod to their time with the Golden Knights, Buffalo forwards Cody Eakin, Peyton Krebs and Alex Tuch were handed the start against their former club Tuesday.
Then they watched the forward line made up of original Knights go to work.
Reilly Smith’s goal 27 seconds into the first period set the tone, and the Knights rolled to a 5-2 victory over the Sabres in front of an announced crowd of 18,235 at T-Mobile Arena.
Jonathan Marchessault tallied his team-leading 20th goal to go with an assist for the Knights, who head into the All-Star break leading the Pacific Division.
“Our game plan was to use our rush and speed and put them on their heels,” Smith said. “I feel like they played a pretty wide-open game, and that allowed us to get a lot of rushes.”
Smith was mired in a slump with one goal in his previous 21 appearances before he tapped in William Karlsson’s feed at the end of a well-executed three-on-two rush.
Marchessault capped off a power play in the second period when he converted from the right faceoff circle after Nicolas Roy’s pretty cross-ice pass. It was the fifth time in the past six seasons Marchessault has reached the 20-goal mark.
Karlsson finished with two assists, and the Knights produced 75 percent of the scoring chances and all four high-danger chances with the Misfit Line on the ice at five-on-five, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
Mark Stone and Brett Howden each had a goal and an assist.
Tuch, who spent four seasons with the Knights before heading to Buffalo in the deal for Jack Eichel, scored for the Sabres in the second period.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
1. Howden stays hot
In hindsight, it’s a mystery why Howden was a healthy scratch against Florida on the Knights’ most recent road trip.
The fourth-line center has scored in three straight appearances and has recorded at least one point in four consecutive games he’s played.
“We’ve gotten scoring from our third and fourth lines the whole first half,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “Without it, especially recently, we wouldn’t have the record we have.”
Howden picked up a loose puck in the slot and fired a shot past Sabres goalie Craig Anderson to put the Knights ahead 2-0 with 1:41 remaining in the first period.
During a second-period Sabres power play, Howden knocked Buffalo forward Tage Thompson off the puck to start an odd-man rush and assisted on Kolesar’s goal in the second period.
Howden, acquired from the New York Rangers in the offseason, has seven goals, two off his career high. They’ve all come against teams from the Eastern Conference.
2. Defenseman debuts
Kaedan Korczak made his NHL debut against the Sabres and was paired with Shea Theodore on the blue line.
Korczak, who turned 21 on Saturday, was a second-round pick by the Knights in 2019. He nearly debuted last season, and DeBoer called him the best young defenseman in training camp.
Defenseman Nic Hague (undisclosed) was placed on injured reserve after being listed as a game-time decision against the Sabres. He participated in the morning skate, but will have a week to heal before the Knights play at Edmonton on Tuesday.
The Knights are without defenseman Dylan Coghlan, who is in COVID-19 protocol. Defenseman Alec Martinez also remains sidelined as he works his way back from multiple injuries/COVID protocol.
3. Lehner locked in
Goaltender Robin Lehner continued his recent surge, making 30 saves to improve to 5-2-2 against his former club.
In his past four outings, Lehner is 3-1 and has a .950 save percentage, stopping 115 of 121 shots.
Lehner was fortunate in the first period when Tuch’s stick snapped in half on a point-blank shot. He also stopped Tuch on a third-period breakaway and stretched out his right pad to deny Dylan Cozens midway through the second period.
“There’s always ups and downs, but you want to keep building on your game,” Lehner said. “Take a little break here and then come back for a big push in the second half.”
Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.
