Pacioretty lifts Vegas to post 3-2 victory over Devils

Max Pacioretty scored the game-winning goal for the second straight game and Malcolm Subban had 36 saves to pick up his first home win of the season as the Vegas Golden Knights moved back into a first-place tie in the Pacific Division with a 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas.

Brayden McNabb scored his first goal of the season and Ryan Reaves also scored for Vegas, which extended its win streak to six games, the second-longest in team history behind only an eight-game stretch last season during their run to the Stanley Cup Final. Subban, making his first home start of the season, had 20 saves in the third period and picked up his second win in seven starts (2-5-0) for the Golden Knights, who extended their home point streak to 11 games (9-0-2). Vegas last fell in regulation at T-Mobile Arena on Nov. 16, a 4-1 loss to St. Louis.

Defenseman Ben Lovejoy, who had no goals and three assists in 37 games entering the contest, finished with a goal and an assist. Nico Hischier also scored a goal for New Jersey. Goalie Keith Kinkaid finished with 25 saves. New Jersey jumped out to a 2-0 in the first nine-and-a-half minutes of the game. First came Hischier's 12th goal of the season at 5:06, when his backhand pass bounced back to him in the slot and he quickly fired a wrist shot past Subban's blocker side. Lovejoy followed with his first goal of the season at 9:37, cutting across the slot and then spinning around and firing a wide angle shot from the left side of the net behind Subban and inside the far post.

Reaves cut it to 2-1 three minutes later when he stole the puck at the blue line and then fired a shot through Kinkaid's pads for his career-high eighth goal of the season. McNabb then tied it midway through the second period, firing a shot from the left point past a Ryan Carpenter screen that initially was ruled goaltender interference. Vegas challenged the play, however, and the call was overruled when it was determined Carpenter was outside the blue paint on the play. Pacioretty, who scored the game-winner in a 3-2 victory at Anaheim on Friday night, then gave the Golden Knights a 3-2 lead during a delayed penalty when he redirected Shea Theodore shot from the left point for his 12th goal of the season. 

(With inputs from agencies.)