Mitch Marner scores first of season as Golden Knights edge Canucks 3-2

Mitch Marner picked up his first goal of the season and the Vegas Golden Knights skated out of Vancouver with a 3-2 victory on Sunday night. Victor Olofsson added a power-play marker and Marc Gatcomb scored his first in a Golden Knights uniform as Vegas improved to 2-1-0.

Goaltender Adin Hill turned aside 17 of 19 shots for Vegas and delivered one of the game’s pivotal moments in the third period. With the Golden Knights protecting their one-goal lead and killing a penalty, Hill slid aggressively out of his crease to stop Liam Ohgren on a short-handed breakaway, preserving the advantage.

Cotter stays hot, Canucks’ offence cools off

Vancouver struck first late in the opening frame. Winger Paul Cotter cashed in on a power play to give the Canucks the early lead and extend his season-opening point streak to four games. Over that stretch, he has collected four goals and two assists.

Jonathan Lekkerimaki provided the other goal for Vancouver, which dropped to 2-2-0. The Canucks were coming off a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames the previous night, but the offence that produced 17 goals in their first three games did not find the same rhythm. Vancouver mustered only 19 shots on goal, managing just 11 through two periods before a late push.

Kevin Lankinen supplied a much-needed bounce-back performance with 25 saves. Earlier in the week, he had surrendered eight goals on 20 shots in a wild 9-7 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Although he gave up three on Sunday, he kept Vancouver within reach while facing sustained pressure and multiple Vegas power plays.

Olofsson’s power-play strike stands up, Vegas extends streak

The turning point came midway through the second period with the Golden Knights on the power play. After Lankinen stopped a shot from Jack Eichel, the rebound fell near the goal line, where Mark Stone quickly moved the puck across to Olofsson. The winger fired high to put Vegas ahead 2-1, capitalizing on one of their five opportunities with the man advantage while deploying a five-forward unit.

Gatcomb later doubled the lead with his first goal for Vegas, which proved vital as the Canucks pushed back in the third. Vancouver pulled Lankinen for an extra skater with just over two minutes remaining and managed to prevent an empty-netter with some strong defensive work, but could not produce the equalizer.

With the win, the Golden Knights have now beaten the Canucks eight straight times, a run that dates back to December 19, 2024. The teams may not see each other again for a while, but Vegas continues to hold the upper hand in the matchup.

Road swing begins for Canucks, homestand for Vegas

The schedule now turns challenging for Vancouver, which heads out on a six-game road trip beginning Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Stabilizing their defensive play and rediscovering the early-season scoring touch will be priorities away from home.

Vegas returns to T-Mobile Arena to host the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday. With Marner on the board and the power play producing, the Golden Knights will look to build on a disciplined effort that showcased both their special teams and depth scoring.