LAS VEGAS -- Brett Howden set a new career-high in goals with 10 by scoring twice in a 4-3 victory against the Winnipeg Jets at T-Mobile Arena on Friday.
Ivan Barbashev also scored twice, while Adin Hill made 23 for the Golden Knights (15-6-3).
“I liked our energy. I thought we played really well for the game, which, sometimes, you do expect the worst,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. ”But you just know there's going to be a bit of a hurdle there, but our guys obviously balanced their taking care of business at home and taking care of business at the rink.”
How the Goals Were Scored
Winnipeg went up 1-0 at 6:57 of the first period when Cole Perfetti scored his first of two goals on a tip in of a Josh Morrissey shot.
Howden tied the game with his first goal at 18:13. He stole the puck in his own end and out raced Jets defender Logan Stanley to the net to score.
Barbashev gave the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead 91 seconds later when he scored off a Pavel Dorofeyev rebound while falling down.
Perfetti scored his second goal of the game at 14:28 of the second period to tie the game. Hill made the initial save, but the rebound found its way back to Perfetti who hammered in the goal.
Barbshev reclaimed the 3-2 lead with his second goal of the game at 4:43 of the third period, but Neal Pionk tied it again with a sniper shot from the left point at 8:55.
Howden then scored the game-winning goal at 15:55, driving hard to the net and tapping in a William Karlsson backdoor, backhand pass.
“I had the easy job of just trying to find the open ice. Just trying to find a quiet area,” Howden said. “[Alexander Holtz] did a good job of going through to the net. He took two or three guys with him, so it kind of left me open, and then ‘Karly's’ the one that makes the play. So it was pretty easy for me to just put it into an empty net. It was a really good play by them.”
Up Next
The Golden Knights return to the ice Saturday for a game against the Utah Hockey Club. It will mark the third meeting between the two teams, which Vegas has won both.
The puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.