Knights earn expansion-record 6th win in row
LOS ANGELES -- David Perron scored the game-winning goal at 3:30 of overtime as the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 on Thursday night for their sixth consecutive win.
Vegas (25-9-2) extended its point streak to 11 games (10-0-1), the longest of any team in its inaugural season. It is the first time in NHL history that an expansion team won six games in a row.
Jonathan Marchessault and Brendan Leipsic registered the other Vegas goals. Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 saves.
Los Angeles (22-11-5) lost its second straight game and has dropped five of its past seven contests. Marian Gaborik and Drew Doughty registered goals, and Jonathan Quick made 36 saves.
Perron beat Quick with a wrist shot to his short side for his ninth goal of the season with Reilly Smith earning the lone assist on the game-winner.
The Kings took a 1-0 lead on Gaborik's sixth goal of the season at 8:13 of the first period.
Gaborik was the beneficiary of a deflected wrist shot by Derek Forbort that glanced off him as he was screening Fleury in front of the net. Doughty had the secondary assist.
Vegas tied the game at 1-1 on Marchessault's 13th goal of the season at 18:34 of the second period. Quick stopped a slap shot by Colin Miller but was unable to control the puck, and Marchessault was left alone to Quick's right to convert his third rebound attempt. Smith registered the secondary assist.
The Golden Knights took a 2-1 lead on Leipsic's first goal of the season and first in a Vegas uniform at 11:10 of the third period. Los Angeles was unable to clear the zone after gaining possession as Cody Eakin forwarded the puck to Alex Tuch behind the net. Tuch found Leipsic to Quick's right, and the center jammed home the puck for the lead goal.
Los Angeles tied the game at 2-2 on Doughty's sixth goal of the season at 15:27 of the third. Vegas was short a man as Pierre-Edouard Bellemare went to the bench after breaking his stick. That allowed Jake Muzzin to find Doughty for a tip shot in the slot in front of Fleury.
NOTES: Vegas did not dress C Ryan Carpenter and D Brad Hunt. ... The Golden Knights conclude their 2017 schedule with a New Year's Eve matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs. ... Just prior to the contest, Los Angeles activated LW Kyle Clifford from injured reserve. Playing in his seventh game of the season, he finished with an even rating in 10:04 of ice time. ... Los Angeles scratched D Oscar Fantenberg, LW Andy Andreoff and LW Jussi Jokinen.