Golden Knights rally past Red Wings 4-3 in overtime

Quick start, then Detroit flips the period

Vegas couldn’t have drawn it up much better early. Reilly Smith opened the scoring at 1:50 of the first period, getting to a soft spot on the left side and finishing a quick feed from Marner after Vegas got numbers into the play.

From there, though, the first period turned into the kind of scramble Vegas has been trying to eliminate since the Olympic break. Detroit tied it on Emmitt Finnie’s goal at 5:58, then took control late when Simon Edvinsson scored at 15:15. Fifty-nine seconds later, Alex DeBrincat made it 3-1, sending Vegas into the intermission chasing again.

Cassidy said the conversation between periods started with the basics and staying in your lane.

“After the first, I think we got a little worried about things out of our control,” he said. “Our goalies got to worry about playing goalie. Our forwards got to worry about taking care of the puck, and our D got to play their [game]… just be accountable for your own crap.”

Hanging around gives Vegas a chance

Even down two, Vegas didn’t fold. Detroit had looks off the rush in the middle frame, but Adin Hill steadied things with several saves that kept the game from getting away. That mattered later, because Vegas’ bench stayed upbeat and the push never died.

“After the second was more of, we’ve been here three times in this trip where we’ve been chasing it,” Cassidy said. “So we know what it looks like, so let’s get to work.”

The third-period push finally breaks through

Vegas’ best hockey of the night arrived in the third, and it looked a lot like the forecheck-and-pressure identity they’ve been chasing since the break.

Ivan Barbashev started the comeback at 11:37, staying around the net after a point shot and jamming home the loose puck to make it 3-2. Then, with Vegas pressing late, Hertl worked the puck from behind the net into a dangerous area and Marner buried the tying goal at 16:36.

“I thought we did that in the third again,” Marner said of the pressure game. “We weren’t giving them time to set up… making them rush plays. Our D did a great job on their gaps.”

Hanifin said the swing in emotion was immediate once the equalizer went in.

“Just to finally see that one go and tie the game up, we felt like we deserved that,” he said. “And obviously to take it into overtime, huge penalty kill at the end of the game there.”

Overtime ends it on the power play

The Golden Knights’ penalty kill got them through a late third-period minor, and overtime turned when Detroit took a slashing penalty at 1:52. That set up the winner.

On the man advantage, Hertl attacked with purpose and snapped the puck past Cam Talbot at 2:11 to seal it. Cassidy liked the decision-making as much as the finish.

“He didn’t just throw it at the goalie,” Cassidy said. “He recognized that their D was playing the low two-on-one… great poise.”

A needed response heading home

Vegas opened this road trip by putting five goals on the board in Los Angeles, but the next three games forced them into deficits and frustration. Wednesday’s win didn’t erase the uneven stretches, but it did give them a way home: stay aggressive, simplify when it’s messy, and bring the third-period urgency earlier.

“When we’re aggressive and on our toes, we’re a good team,” Hanifin said. “We’ve got to build off the win tonight.”

Up next

Vegas returns home after going 2-2 on the post-Olympic road swing. The Golden Knights host Minnesota on Friday (7 p.m. PT), looking to carry their late-game push into last few months of the regular season.