Late goal lifts Golden Knights to victory over Canucks
Published
VANCOUVER - Victor Olofsson scored late in the third period and the Vegas Golden Knights edged the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Sunday.
William Karlsson pulled the puck behind the Vancouver net, then sliced a quick pass to Olofsson at the top of the crease and the Swedish winger fired it in for his 14th goal of the season with three minutes and 14 seconds left on the game clock.
Ivan Barbashev and Nicolas Roy added goals for the Golden Knights (47-22-8), and Adin Hill stopped 19 of the 21 shots he faced.
Nils Hoglander and Aatu Raty replied for the Canucks (35-29-13), who got 32 saves from Kevin Lankinen.
Both teams were playing their second game of the weekend, with Vancouver coming off a 6-2 dismantling of the Anaheim Ducks Saturday afternoon and Vegas a 3-2 overtime victory against the Calgary Flames.
The loss further dims Vancouver’s faint playoff hopes, leaving the Canucks sitting eight points out of a post-season berth with four games to go.
TAKEAWAYS
Canucks: Hoglander returned after missing six games with an undisclosed injury. The Swedish winger was quick to make an impact, opening the scoring with his seventh goal of the season four minutes and 46 seconds into the first period. Hoglander replaced rookie Jonathan Lekkerimaki in the lineup.
Golden Knights: The team came into Sunday's slate of games with the top-ranked power play in the league (30.1 per cent) but were held scoreless on two opportunities with the man advantage. Vegas has not scored on its last six power plays.
KEY MOMENT
Raty levelled the score at 2-2 at the 8:03 mark of the second, collecting a rebound off Filip Hronek's blast from inside the blue line and sending it in over a prone Hill for his sixth goal of the season. Vegas challenged the tally for goaltender interference, arguing Raty made contact with Hill in the crease before the shot, but the goal stood after an extended video review.
KEY STAT
Vegas outshot Vancouver 12-2 in the third period, despite the Canucks pulling Lankinen with 85 seconds left in the final frame.
UP NEXT
Canucks: Visit the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.
Golden Knights: Visit the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 6, 2025.