LAS VEGAS — Ryan Craig’s first night behind the Vegas Golden Knights bench opened with a win, as Jack Eichel posted a goal and two assists in a 5-2 season-opening victory against the Chicago Blackhawks at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday.
Vegas got offense throughout its lineup in Craig’s debut after taking over for John Tortorella. Victor Olofsson, rookie Trevor Connelly, Noah Hanifin and Mark Stone also scored, while Carter Hart stopped 23 shots. Ivan Barbashev, Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb each finished with two assists.
The Blackhawks had a familiar face on the scoresheet. Patrick Kane scored in his return to Chicago, and Jordan Greenway added a goal in his first game with the club. Spencer Knight faced a heavy workload and made 32 saves.
Olofsson gave Vegas its first lead on the power play at 10:30 of the opening period, snapping a wrist shot from above the left circle. The Golden Knights doubled the margin late in the frame when Connelly, selected 19th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, scored in his NHL debut. He found a rebound near the crease and tucked it inside the near post at 15:22.
Chicago pushed back in the second. Greenway, acquired from the Buffalo Sabres on June 23, drove the rush and slid a shot under Hart’s right arm at 12:23. Vegas answered less than three minutes later, with Eichel converting Barbashev’s feed from below the goal line at the right post.
The goal was Eichel’s 700th NHL point. His assist on Stone’s late empty-netter raised his career total to 701, including 267 goals and 434 assists.
Vegas answers Kane’s third-period push
Kane made it a one-goal game at 4:04 of the third period, beating Vegas to a loose puck and steering it around a sprawled Hart to cut the deficit to 3-2. The 37-year-old is back with the Blackhawks after signing a two-year, $16 million contract on July 23, carrying an $8 million average annual value. Kane spent the first 16 seasons of his 19-year NHL career in Chicago and won three Stanley Cups with the franchise.
The comeback bid lasted only 39 seconds. Hanifin joined the rush and fired a shot off the right side at 4:43 to restore Vegas’s two-goal cushion. Stone sealed the opener with an empty-net finish at 17:27.
Chicago also lost forward Andrew Mangipane during the game. He took one shift in the second period before departing with an undisclosed injury.
Craig arrived in Vegas after coaching the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League for the previous three seasons. His first regular-season game provided an early look at a club that received contributions from established stars, its power play and a rookie making his NHL entrance.
