Rookie Trevor Connelly scored the tiebreaking goal with 1:42 remaining in regulation as the visiting Vegas Golden Knights rallied for a 2-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night.
The 20-year-old Connelly broke down the left wing, cut around Michael Rasmussen and snapped a wrist shot from the middle of the left circle past the glove side of goaltender Daniil Tarasov for his seventh goal, tying him for the league lead among rookies. Connelly, the 19th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, has scored in three straight games.
Braeden Bowman also scored for Vegas, which defeated the Red Wings for the fourth consecutive time.
Carter Hart made 25 saves for the Golden Knights, who have claimed five of a possible six points through the first three games of their four-game Eastern road trip, which concludes Sunday afternoon in Buffalo. Hart improved to 8-3-1 in his career against Detroit.
Anton Johansson scored and Tarasov stopped 32 of 34 shots for Detroit, which lost for the third time in four games.
Detroit took a 1-0 lead early in the third period when Johansson pounced on a loose puck that caromed off the end boards behind the net, then ripped a shot inside the right post past Hart’s glove for his second goal of the season.
Vegas tied it a few minutes later when Bowman finished an odd-man rush with a snap shot from the top of the right circle that traveled through traffic and past Tarasov’s glove for his fourth goal of the season.
The Golden Knights nearly took the lead with 3:46 remaining when Jack Eichel drove to the net and fired a shot that caromed off the right post and Tarasov’s left pad.
Eichel picked up the primary assist on Connelly’s game-winner to give him 23 points in 18 games.