Shea Theodore’s 4-point game powers Golden Knights to 6-5 win over Canadiens

MONTREAL (AP) — Shea Theodore had a goal and three assists and the Vegas Golden Knights beat Montreal 6-5 on Thursday night, sending the Canadiens to their third straight loss.

Jack Eichel and Mark Stone each had a goal and two assists, and Brett Howden, Brayden McNabb and Jonathan Marchessault also scored for Vegas (13-3-1), which was coming off a 3-0 loss to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday. Adin Hill, who entered the game with a .939 save percentage, stopped 23 shots.

“You’re going to have to win games in completely different ways every night in this league,” Stone said. “You’re going to have to win some of these run-and-gun games along the way, that’s what makes good teams good.

“I think six was probably pretty light tonight, with all the chances we had,” Stone said of Vegas’ scoring.

Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy gave credit where it was due.

“They have a say in that too, right?” Cassidy said of the missed chances. “Their goaltender was excellent, then eventually you keep putting pucks at him and you’re going to get something to go usually — and that’s how it played out.”

Jesse Ylonen scored twice and Alex Newhook, Johnathan Kovacevic and Justin Barron added goals for Montreal (7-8-2). Nick Suzuki and defenseman Mike Matheson each had two assists. Cayden Primeau made 36 saves in his third start of the season.

The Golden Knights went 3 for 7 on the power play, while the Canadiens failed to convert on three man-advantage situations.

“We played with fire tonight, and got burned,” Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis said.

Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher took a double-minor penalty for high sticking Pavel Dorofeyev with 2:51 left in the third period. Eichel and Stone scored for the Golden Knights with the man advantage.

Barron got one back for Montreal with the goalie pulled with 54 seconds left, but the Canadiens failed to get the tying goal.

Down 2-0, Vegas outscored Montreal 4-2 in a back-and-forth second period, tying the game entering the third.

Howden got Vegas on the board by beating Primeau short-handed at 2:33 with a shot that trickled under the netminder’s arm.

Ylonen replied at 8:28, scoring on a breakaway after tipping the puck between both Golden Knights defensemen at Montreal’s blue line and deking out Hill.

McNabb scored 18 seconds later to make it 3-2, and Marchessault added another at 11:20 to tie the game.

Ylonen scored his second of the night 33 seconds later, off a pass from behind the net by Michael Pezzetta to quickly regain the lead.

Theodore evened the score with a power-play goal off a shot from the point.

After the Golden Knights opened the game with the first eight shots, Newhook scored on Montreal’s first chance at 6:43 with a wrister from a sharp angle. It was his fourth goal of the season, and his first in 14 games.

Kovacevic then scored his first of the season at 10:03.

INJURIES

Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj left the game with an upper-body injury after falling to the ice from a heavy hit from Vegas forward Ivan Barbashev. Xhekaj exited favoring his left shoulder.

UP NEXT

Golden Knights: At the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.

Canadiens: At the Boston Bruins on Saturday.

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