Golden Knights Win on New Years Eve in OT, Lose Defenseman

LAS VEGAS— The Vegas Golden Knights (24-12-2, 52 points) continue to be perfect in New Year's Eve games (4-0) as they knocked off the Nashville Predators (10-22-5, 25 points) on home ice to usher in 2023. A depleted VGK lineup still got the job done, with captain Mark Stone, Chandler Stephenson, and Logan Thompson leading the way. The VGK finish out the month of December with an 8-6-1 record.

Brayden McNabb was ejected in the second period for laying a high hit on Mark Jankowski. McNabb and Yakov Trenin dropped the gloves, and the already top-heavy reliant Golden Knights had to use five defensemen.

Here's how it went down.

FIRST PERIOD

• Alec Martinez remained out of the lineup, Logan Thompson started, and so did the line of Nicolas Roy, Keegan Kolesar, and Will Carrier.
• Michael Amadio took a hit which made his stick fly up in the air. But with a nice catch, he snagged it in midair as it bounced off the boards.
• The Golden Knights had a strong start to the game with a lot of zone pressure, shots, and offensive chances.
• 1-0 NSH GOAL- But a bad turnover in the Golden Knight's own zone allowed Filip Forsberg to pick up the puck, wait, and score.
• Chandler Stephenson singlehandedly set up a chance for the VGK with a quick stick in the defensive zone. After Stephenson beat a defender to the puck and passed to Mark Stone, Michael Amadio was stopped at the goal crease by Kevin Lankinen.
• Cody Glass, who was the first-ever draft pick by the Vegas Golden Knights, was honored during the first TV timeout.
• The VGK had a flurry of chances, with Michael Amadio missing a one-timer on a wide-open net.
• Reilly Smith took a high stick to the face and went to the locker room. He was able to return.
• 2-0 NSH GOAL- The Golden Knight's third line, consisting of mainly Henderson Silver Knights players, got trapped in their own zone, which resulted in Jeremy Lauzon eventually scoring with a nice wrist shot.
• 2-1 VGK GOAL- Keegan Kolesar made a nice tip on a Daniil Miromanov shot to cut the lead for the Predators.

SECOND PERIOD

• 2-2 VGK GOAL- Michael Amadio finally buried on one of his one-timer chances after some slick Golden Knights rush passing.

• Logan Thompson made a huge save on Nino Niederreiter backdoor.
• Reilly Smith and Phil Kessel went off on a 2-on-1, with Kessel taking the shot and just missing wide.
• 3-2 VGK GOAL- The Misfits continued their pressure, and William Karlsson worked behind the net to feed Reilly Smith for a goal.

• FIGHT- Brayden McNabb laid a big hit on Mark Jankowski, and Yakov Trenin didn't like it. Trenin instigated a fight against McNabb.

• 4 on 4- Tons of penalties resulted from this incident. Brayden McNabb got a match penalty for the hit. Both Yakov Trenin and McNabb got 5 for fighting, and then Trenin got two minutes and a misconduct for instigating. This resulted in a three-minute 4-on-4, which was later extended.
• The Golden Knights were left with five defensemen for the remainder of the game.
• 4 on 4- Once play resumed, Roman Josi took a holding penalty which kept things at 4-on-4 longer.
• NSH PP- All penalties came to an end with no scoring, and then the Predators got on a standard powerplay with Jake Leschyshyn's crosscheck.
• At the end of the period, Daniil Miromanov blocked a shot and was in some pain. He was on the bench in the third but did not play a shift.

THIRD PERIOD

• Kevin Lankinen and the Predators turned the puck over behind their net but were saved by a net dislodging.
• Nino Niederreiter had a scoring chance from the right faceoff circle after the third line failed to breakout.
• 4-2 VGK GOAL- Mark Stone made a nice pass to the slot to find Chandler Stephenson, who was left alone.

• The Golden Knight's fourth line followed up Mark Stone's goal with continuous pressure and offensive chances.
• VGK PP- Scrambling in his own zone, Alex Carrier took a holding penalty.
• After the penalty expired, Logan Thompson made a big stop on Roman Josi.
• 4-3 NSH GOAL- The Golden Knight's third line once again couldn't get out of their own zone, and Filip Forsberg scored again.
• Cody Glass had two grade-A chances on Logan Thompson after another VGK turnover, but LT made the critical stop.
• Jonas Rondbjerg was crushed by a hit from Tanner Jeannot.
• Kevin Lankinen went to the Predator's bench with about a minute and a half remaining in the third period.
• NSH PP- With 1:10 left, Reilly Smith caught Filip Forsberg with a high stick.
• Head coach John Hynes and the Predators took a timeout.
• 4-4 NSH GOAL- With just three seconds left in regulation, Filip Forsberg finished off his hat trick to tie the game.

OVERTIME

• Filip Forsberg, again, had a prime chance to end the game. He hit a post on the Predators' first shot of overtime.
• 5-4 VGK GOAL- William Karlsson was slashed on his way to the net by Mattias Ekholm, which resulted in a delayed penalty on the Predators. But the Golden Knights did not need their powerplay as Nicolas Hague shot home a Haguerbomb to end the game.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS NOTES

• The Golden Knight's penalty kill/four-on-four play came up big not only during the Brayden McNabb incident but all night.
• We will take a closer look at the Brayden McNabb hit in our postgame story. A hearing for the defender is likely inbound.
• Michael Amadio had several scoring opportunities and fanned on many, but he was still able to score in the second period.
• The depth of the Golden Knights was on display in a bad way Saturday. The lineup was very top-heavy amidst injuries and struggles.
• Filip Forsberg scored continues to be one of the most underrated skilled players in the National Hockey League.
• Logan Thompson, who had his first NHL start against the Nashville Predators, played well and got his first win against the team.

VHN's Player of the Game: Nicolas Hague

Haguerbomb FTW.

Up Next: The Golden Knights have a brief one-game road trip on Jan. 2 against the Colorado Avalanche at 6:00 p.m.