LAS VEGAS — Phillip Danault completed a hat trick late in the third period, Paul Byron scored in overtime and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 on Saturday.
Danault entered the game with two goals this season. His third score of the game came with 1:25 left in the third period, setting up Byron’s backhand goal 1:59 into OT.
Carey Price made 23 saves, and the Canadiens swept the season series against Vegas.
Brandon Pirri scored twice and Jonathan Marchessault also scored for Vegas. William Karlsson, who leads Vegas with 29 points, had two assists. Marc-Andre Fleury, one win shy of his 50th as a Golden Knight, made 43 saves.
Pirri has three goals in two games since being recalled from the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves on Dec. 19.
The 27-year-old leads Chicago with 29 goals in the AHL and has six goals in four games with the Golden Knights dating to last season.
Vegas ended its six-game home winning streak and dropped to 11-4-1 inside T-Mobile Arena.
Danault scored his first goal by smacking a one-timer top shelf over Fleury’s blocker less than four minutes into the game.
The Golden Knights tied it late in the first when Price kicked back Alex Tuch’s wraparound attempt, and Pirri was there to clean up the rebound.
Vegas took a 2-1 lead in the second period when Marchessault snagged a rebound from Karlsson’s shot from the point, set up his forehand and snapped a wrist shot past Price.
Danault registered his second goal of the game when he deflected Jordie Benn’s shot from the point past Fleury. Not to be one-upped in his own building, Pirri notched his second goal of the game when he came off the bench and took Brayden McNabb’s stretch pass for a breakaway that trickled through Price’s pads.
NOTES: Vegas F Ryan Carpenter is one game shy of 100 in his career. … Fomer Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty didn’t get to play against his former team, as he’s currently on injured reserve. … Tomas Tatar, who played 20 games with Vegas last season, returned to T-Mobile Arena for the first time as a Canadien. Tatar had two assists.
UP NEXT
Canadiens: Visit Florida on Dec. 28.
Golden Knights: Host Los Angeles on Sunday.
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W.G. Ramirez, The Associated Press