Stephenson scores in OT, Golden Knights rally past Blues

St. Louis Blues goaltender Jake Allen (R) blocks a shot beside Vegas Golden Knights center Cody Glass (L) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Las Vegas, January 4, 2020.

It's no secret that the Vegas Golden Knights haven't fared well against teams with better records this season.

Saturday, with sheer resiliency, the Pacific Division leaders proved they can beat one of the league's best.

Chandler Stephenson scored in overtime and the Golden Knights rallied from an early three-goal deficit to beat the St. Louis Blues 5-4.

Vegas, which improved to 15-6-3 since November 17 and leads the NHL with 33 points in that span, have laid the groundwork since dipping to sixth in the division, but had spent most of the season dominating subpar teams.

While the Golden Knights are 16-6-2 against teams currently outside the playoff picture, they entered Saturday 2-6-1 against the seven teams above them in the standings while being outscored 35-21.

Vegas Golden Knights center Chandler Stephenson (L) scores on St. Louis Blues goaltender Jake Allen (R) to win an NHL hockey game during overtime in Las Vegas, January 4, 2020.

Against all teams that would currently qualify for the playoffs, Vegas is 8-9-4 and has been outscored by a combined 75-60.

The Golden Knights have won four straight – three against teams that would be in the postseason right now – including Saturday's statement victory against the defending Stanley Cup champions.

"It wasn't too much of a statement the first 28 minutes, but after that we played real good hockey," Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. ''You battle back, you never say never in this league."

Stephenson poke-checked the puck from St. Louis' Robert Thomas, then streaked in on a breakaway and beat Allen with a forehand-to-backhand combo 3:01 into overtime.

"Just kept my momentum from the backcheck and wheeled around the net," Stephenson said.

It was his fifth goal and eighth point in 16 games for the Golden Knights since being traded from Washington on December 2.

St. Louis Blues center Tyler Bozak (C) skates between Vegas Golden Knights center Cody Glass (L) and center Paul Stastny (R) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Las Vegas, January 4, 2020.

The Golden Knights turned things around midway through the second period. Ryan Reaves, Paul Stastny, Nicolas Roy and Reilly Smith also scored for the Golden Knights to erase a 3-0 hole, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 27 saves.

Alex Pietrangelo, Jaden Schwartz, Oskar Sundqvist and former Golden Knight David Perron scored for the Blues. Jake Allen made 28 saves.

After winning a season-high eight consecutive games, the Blues have dropped three straight and have been outscored 15-8 in the losses.

"This league is so tight," coach Craig Berube said. "You've got to keep winning, you've got to find a way to get points. We got a point tonight. It's a big point."

The Blues lead the Western Conference with 59 points (26-10-7), while the Golden Knights are in second in the West with 54 points (24-15-6).

Source(s): AP