Thursday, October 19, 2023 08:00 PM (ET)

Knights jump Jets, win fifth straight to start season

Field Level Media
Oct 19, 2023

Jack Eichel scored the go-ahead goal on a power play with 4:36 remaining as the visiting Vegas Golden Knights set a franchise record with their fifth straight win to begin a season, beating the Winnipeg Jets 5-3 on Thursday night.

Vegas' Jonathan Marchessault, Brett Howden, Alec Martinez and Nicolas Roy also scored.

Shea Theodore had three assists, Mark Stone added two assists and Logan Thompson finished with 36 saves for the Golden Knights, who tied the NHL record for best start to a season for a reigning Stanley Cup champion. Vegas joined the 1985-86 Edmonton Oilers and the 1920-21 Ottawa Senators with their 5-0-0 start.

Alex Iafallo scored twice, Nikolaj Ehlers had two assists and Cole Perfetti also scored for Winnipeg. Laurent Brossoit, who was in goal when the Golden Knights eliminated the Jets in five games in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs last season, made 22 saves in his Jets debut.

With the score tied 3-3 late in the third period, Iafallo went to the penalty box for a slash on Marchessault. Eichel then gave the Golden Knights the lead when he one-timed a shot from the bottom of the left circle short side -- his third goal of the season.

Roy sealed the win with an empty-netter with 1:03 to go.

Winnipeg took a 1-0 lead 90 seconds into the game when Iafallo put in a rebound of Josh Morrissey's shot into an open right side of the net for his second goal of the season.

Vegas tied it at the 17:42 mark of the first period on a power-play goal by Marchessault, who one-timed Chandler Stephenson's pass from above the circles for his second goal of the season.

Howden gave the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead 49 seconds into the second period. He tapped Mark Stone's crossing pass into the left side of the net.

Martinez, making his season debut after missing the first four games with an upper-body injury, made it 3-1 near the end of the middle period when he roofed a wrist shot from the high slot. But Perfetti answered just 33 seconds later for the Jets, hitting a backhand shot while cutting in front of the crease.

Iafallo then tied it 3-3 with a power-play goal midway through the third period, one-timing Mark Scheifele's pass from the low slot.

--Field Level Media

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