Golden Knights vs. Blackhawks: Jack Eichel Reaches 700 Career Points as Trevor Connelly Scores in His Debut

Jack Eichel did not need a highlight-reel move for his 700th NHL point. He needed a good shift, a smart pass from Ivan Barbashev below the goal line, and the patience to stand at the right post and tap it in. Sometimes the milestones are fireworks. Sometimes they are a layup.

Eichel finished with a goal and two assists, rookie Trevor Connelly scored in his NHL debut, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena. It was the season opener for both teams and the first game for Ryan Craig as Vegas coach. Patrick Kane scored in his return to the Blackhawks, which gave the night a little nostalgia, but the Golden Knights made sure it ended as a Vegas story.

Vegas Builds the Cushion

The Golden Knights got on the board midway through the first period, and they did it on the power play. Victor Olofsson, back for a second stint in Vegas after signing a one-year deal on July 1, let one fly from the left faceoff dot at 10:30 to make it 1-0. Eichel and Shea Theodore had the assists.

Connelly doubled it at 15:22. The No. 19 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft stayed with the play after his first attempt and cashed in the rebound at the near post for his first NHL goal, with Brayden McNabb and Theodore assisting. Craig loved it. "He's a brave kid in the sense of getting to the hard areas," the coach said. "He plays around the net."

Chicago had its best stretch early in the second. Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said his team played really well through the first half of the period, and Jordan Greenway finally broke through at 12:23, scoring off the rush from the right circle. Greenway, acquired from Buffalo in the Bowen Byram trade on June 23, scored in his Chicago debut, and Ryan Greene and Wyatt Kaiser had the assists. It was 2-1, and Vegas suddenly had a game on its hands.

The Turning Point: Eichel's Milestone Shift

The Blackhawks never got the tying goal, and the reason was Eichel. At 15:12 of the second, Eichel finished Barbashev's feed from behind the goal line for a 3-1 lead and career point No. 700. McNabb picked up his second assist.

"Great play by 'Barbie,' obviously, and it was a great shift before we got on the ice to set us up," Eichel said. "Been really lucky and grateful to be a part of this organization."

That goal flipped the energy right back. Blashill said his team got hemmed in over the final five or six minutes of the second, and Vegas cashed in during exactly that window. Instead of a tie game heading into the third, Chicago was chasing two goals again.

Kane Strikes, Hanifin Answers

Kane did his best to change that early in the third. At 4:04, he outraced the Vegas defense to a loose puck, went in alone, and got it around Hart, who had gone down, to make it 3-2. "Your eyes get pretty wide when the puck goes by the defenseman, and you're coming in on a breakaway and chasing up to the puck," Kane said. "Just wanted to be patient with it, take my time, kind of make him make a move first and hang onto it."

The joy lasted 39 seconds. Noah Hanifin restored the two-goal lead at 4:43, scoring off the rush, with Nic Dowd and Marc Gatcomb assisting. Kane was blunt about it. "Tough to give up one after we cut it to one," he said.

Mark Stone iced it with an empty-netter at 17:27, assisted by Eichel and Barbashev. That gave Eichel 701 points (267 goals, 434 assists), per NHL.com.

Stars of the Night

Jack Eichel had a goal and two assists in 18:00 and crossed a milestone. Three points in a debut win for a new coach is a pretty good way to say welcome.

Trevor Connelly scored in his NHL debut in 11:22 of ice time. Ivan Barbashev, Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb each had two assists. Carter Hart made 24 saves on 26 shots.

For Chicago, Patrick Kane scored in 21:36. The 37-year-old signed a two-year, $16 million contract on July 23 to return to the franchise where he played his first 16 NHL seasons and won three Stanley Cups. NHL.com noted it was his eighth goal in a Blackhawks season opener, moving him past Denis Savard for the second most in franchise history behind Bobby Hull. Spencer Knight made 32 saves on 36 shots.

Stats That Matter

• 37-26: Vegas' shot advantage.
• 1-for-3: Vegas on the power play. Chicago went 0-for-2.
• 33-25: Golden Knights on faceoffs, a 56.9 percent clip.
• 39 seconds: The gap between Kane's goal and Hanifin's answer.
• 701: Eichel's career point total after the empty-net assist.

What It Means

Vegas starts 1-0-0, and Craig gets his first win as the Golden Knights' head coach. He coached Henderson of the AHL the previous three seasons and was hired on June 17 to replace John Tortorella, per NHL.com. The roster he inherited is the defending Western Conference champion, but it is also one that, per the AP, traded Pavel Dorofeyev, last season's leading goal scorer with 37. Five different players scored Tuesday, which answered that question for one night. "We won Game 1. That's what we wanted, set out to accomplish," Craig said. Vegas hosts Anaheim on Friday.

Chicago starts 0-1-0 and played without Connor Bedard, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, according to the AP. The Blackhawks also lost Andrew Mangiapane, who left after one shift in the second period with a lower-body injury and will not play the next two games, per Blashill. The coach was not handing out participation trophies. "We shouldn't be satisfied with the level of game we had tonight because I don't think it was nearly our A game," he said. Chicago visits Utah on Thursday.

Closing Take

This was a little like a band's reunion tour opening in a rival's town: Kane brought the nostalgia, the crowd got the hits, but the headliner was the guy who has been here all along. Eichel's 700th point was not flashy, and it did not need to be. McNabb put it plainly afterward. "So, it was a good 60 minutes," he said. For a new coach in Vegas, that is all the review he needs.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details from the Associated Press; postgame quotes and team notes as reported by NHL.com.