Jack Eichel had a goal and two assists as the Vegas Golden Knights opened the defense of their Western Conference title with a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in Ryan Craig’s head-coaching debut on Tuesday in Las Vegas.
Victor Olofsson, Trevor Connelly, Noah Hanifin and Mark Stone also scored goals and Brayden McNabb, Shea Theodore and Ivan Barbashev each had two assists for Vegas, which improved to 7-0-1 in its last eight season openers. Golden Knights goalie Carter Hart made 24 saves.
Patrick Kane and Jordan Greenway scored goals and Spencer Knight finished with 32 saves for Chicago.
Vegas, taking advantage of a Blackhawks penalty for too many men on the ice, took a 1-0 lead at the 10:30 mark of the first period with a power-play goal by Olofsson. Eichel picked up the primary assist with a crossing pass to Olofsson, who was rushing the net on the left wing. Olofsson ripped a wrist shot over Knight’s glove and into the top right corner of the net.
The 20-year-old Connelly, the 19th overall pick of the 2024 draft who was making his NHL debut, extended to lead to 2-0 near the end of the period when he roofed a rebound from the left side of the crease.
Chicago, playing without captain Connor Bedard, who is sidelined until November following left shoulder surgery, cut the deficit to 2-1 midway through the second period. Greenway took a drop pass from Ryan Greene at the top of the right circle and fired a wrist shot past Hart’s blocker side.
Eichel made it 3-1 a few minutes later when he shoveled a behind-the-net pass from Barbashev into the top left corner for his 700th career point.
Kane, playing his first game with Chicago since Feb. 22, 2023, after helping lead the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups in 16 seasons, cut the gap to 3-2 at the 4:04 mark of the third period with a breakaway goal.
The Golden Knights responded 39 seconds later when Hanifin finished an odd-man rush with a wrist shot from the high slot.
The Blackhawks pulled Knight for an extra attacker with 2:45 remaining, and Stone sealed the win with an empty-netter.
