Golden Knights score twice in third, rally past Blue Jackets

LAS VEGAS-- Reilly Smith and Mattias Janmark scored in the third period when the Vegas Golden Knights rallied for a 3-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday.

Smith scored for the third time in four games, and Keegan Kolesar had a goal and an assist for the Golden Knights (11-7-0), who went 5-1-0 on a six-game homestand. Laurent Brossoit made 27 saves.
"It was a super resilient effort the last few games," Smith said. "Every game there's something else happening, a little more adversity. For guys to come in and be able to contribute, it's the world for us right now."
Elvis Merzlikins made 32 saves for the Blue Jackets (9-6-0), who lost for the first time in three games. Gustav Nyquist and Alexandre Texier scored, and Jake Bean had two assists.
Zach Werenski had two assists for his 200th and 201st points in the NHL (69 goals, 132 assists).
"I think we played a really good first period," Werenski said. "We played how we have to play in order to win and then we kind of lose ourselves a little bit."
Nyquist deflected a point shot from Bean 45 seconds into the first period to give the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead.
Texier scored a shorthanded goal at 8:42 of the first to make it 2-0. He toe-dragged through his legs to deke past Mark Stone, cut through the crease, and scored stick side.

Kolesar scored his first goal of the season at 7:07 of the second period to cut the lead to 2-1. The Blue Jackets were in their own zone for 2:31 before Kolesar scored on a one-timer from Jake Leschyshyn.
"That's what set up the goal was the two shifts prior to that," Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said. "We might have even got two full changes or at least a change and a half and they got tired. I liked our killer instinct there to jump on that."
Smith tied it 2-2 at 4:45 of the third period on a shorthanded breakaway. He intercepted a pass from Columbus forward Jakub Voracek at the blue line and beat Werenski to the net.
"Obviously the shorthanded goal in the third hurts and they find a way to win," Werenski said. "We just kind of got away from our game there and they took it to us."

Janmark gave the Golden Knights the 3-2 lead at 13:53. Vegas defenseman Nicolas Hague shattered his stick on a shot from the left circle and the puck went to Janmark, who tucked it in with the backhand in front.
The Blue Jackets challenged for offside. According to the NHL Situation Room, the play prior to the goal was ruled offside, but the linesman did not whistle the play dead. The officials could not review that play, but only the latest entry from the Golden Knights, where Janmark was ruled onside.
"It's offside, but as soon as that puck exits, it's a whole new play," Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. "I was frustrated, I couldn't help myself. I know the rule. I messed it up. That's where emotion gets the best of you, and that's on me."
The Golden Knights had their third multigoal comeback win of the season, the most in the NHL.
"We're finding ways to win games," DeBoer said. "I can't wait until we're healthy and we can roll a full lineup out there. It's going to be on those guys coming in to jump in and continue with the foundation we're on right now."
NOTES: Smith scored his eighth shorthanded goal with Vegas, surpassing William Karlsson (seven) for the most in the team's history. … Werenski became the first defenseman from the 2015 NHL Draft class to reach 200 points and the second in Blue Jackets history to reach that mark (Seth Jones in 338 games). He also extended his point streak to four games (two goals, four assists) in his 350th NHL game. … The Blue Jackets won four of the previous five meetings against the Golden Knights.