Seven Different Goal Scorers Lift Golden Knights Over Flames

LAS VEGAS, NV - For a while, there was a pretty good hockey game being played last night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In a 4-3 game early in the third period, the visiting Flames appeared to tie the game with a goal from Sean Monahan, but the play was reviewed and an offside call wiped out the equalizer. That proved to be the pivotal moment of Wednesday's contest, as the Knights piled on with three more unanswered goals to win the game 7-3.

The seven-goal onslaught ties a season high for the Golden Knights (they blanked the Avalanche 7-0 at home on Oct. 27). More impressive than the number of goals was how Vegas got them. Seven different players found the net on Wednesday.

Alex Tuch's 11th goal of the season was the difference maker. The goal put Vegas up 4-3 in the second period.

"I thought our whole team played really hard. We got production from all our lines honestly, and it was really good to see," Tuch said. After scoring the game deciding goal, Tuch also assisted on Luca Sbisa's third period goal and got into an old fashioned hockey fight moments after that - completing the "Gordie Howe Hat Trick," of a goal, an assist, and a fight. It was Tuch's first career NHL fight, and he told reporters after the game he thought it went well.

"I wasn't even thinking about the Gordie Howe part of it," he said. "We were all pretty high on emotions there and it was going back and forth and I was getting a little physical and I think (Travis) Hamonic saw that, so we got into each other's faces a little bit and he asked me if I wanted to fight."

Each player went to the penalty box with a bloody lip, but the fight ended with a subtle tap of respect from each as the refs broke it up.

"He's a pretty tough guy, pretty strong guy. So I thought I held my own there, I thought it was a pretty equal fight and I think we got each other, gave each other bloody lips but besides that nothing crazy. No hard feelings. It's part of the game, so it's good," he said.

Joining Tuch and Sbisa (2) in the scoring festivities were Ryan Carpenter (6), William Karlsson (31), Reilly Smith (20), Tomas Nosek (6), and Cody Eakin (7).

"Anytime you score seven goals...the game before I was complaining about us not getting to the net. Well we got to the net last night and there was four goals because of it, so the guys competed hard," head coach Gerard Gallant said on Thursday.

The Golden Knights are now 4-2 on the current homestand - the longest of the season. The stretch wraps up on Friday when the Vancouver Canucks come to town. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. for the seventh and final game of the Vegas staycation.

Image via Isaac Brekken/Associated Press