Golden Knights' Late Push Falls Short in 4-3 Loss to Bruins
The Vegas Golden Knights nearly pulled off a dramatic comeback in Boston, but their third-period surge wasn’t quite enough. Despite a furious rally that saw them score three unanswered goals in the final frame, the defending champs fell 4-3 to the Bruins at TD Garden on Thursday night.
Early Trouble in Beantown
This one got away from Vegas early. Boston wasted no time asserting itself, striking three times in a span of just over three minutes midway through the first period.
Charlie McAvoy opened the scoring on the power play with a blast from the blue line that found its way through traffic. Just 30 seconds later, Elias Lindholm made it 2-0, and Tanner Jeannot added a third shortly after, capitalizing on a defensive breakdown to put the Golden Knights in a deep hole before the period was even over.
Things didn’t get much better in the second. David Pastrnak, always a threat in transition, added to the Bruins' lead with a slick goal on the rush at 7:25, giving Boston a commanding 4-0 edge heading into the final 20 minutes.
The Comeback Attempt
But if there's one thing this Vegas team has shown time and again, it's resilience. Less than a minute into the third, Jack Eichel got the Knights on the board. After a crisp setup from Noah Hanifin, Eichel followed up his own rebound and buried it, giving Vegas a spark.
The momentum carried over quickly. Just over two minutes later, Mark Stone threaded a beautiful backhand pass on the power play, and Tomas Hertl was there to finish it off, cutting the deficit to two with plenty of time left on the clock.
Vegas kept the pressure on and went all-in late, pulling goaltender Akira Schmid for an extra attacker. With 2:35 remaining, Pavel Dorofeyev sent a centering feed from below the faceoff circle that took a fortunate bounce and slipped past Joonas Korpisalo, suddenly making it a one-goal game.
That set the stage for a frantic final push, but Boston held firm. The Knights couldn’t find the equalizer, and their comeback bid came up just short.
What’s Next
Vegas won’t have much time to dwell on this one. The road trip rolls on with a quick turnaround Friday night in Toronto, where they'll face the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.
Puck drops at 4 p.m. PT.
Fans can catch the game on The Spot-Vegas 34, stream it on KnightTime+, or tune in on FOX Sports Las Vegas 94.7/1340 and Deportes Vegas 1460.
The Knights showed plenty of heart in the third period, but they’ll be looking for a full 60-minute effort against a high-powered Leafs squad.