VANCOUVER – Shia Theodore scored 2:05 in overtime and the Vegas Golden Knights won 3-2 against the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.
Jonathan Marchesalt had one goal and assists, and Alex Pietrenzlo also scored for Vegas (39-28-4), extending his winning streak to five games.
Canucks (32-28-10) trailed 2-0 in the first period but took the lead in the third with goals from Jetty Miller and Bo Harbhat.
Robin Lehner returns from a lower body injury and has 26 save performances for Vegas. Swedish Netminder made its debut on March 8.
Vancouver’s Thatcher stopped Demco 27-of-30 shots as the Canucks lost for the third time in a row.
The game marks the first half of a home-and-home series between the two sides, with the match set to resume in Vegas on Wednesday.
With Vancouver trailing seven points behind Vegas in Sunday’s Western Conference standings, both teams are still battling the Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators for two wild-card spots.
Canucks defender Tyler Myers almost eliminated the need for extra time with a close-range shot as the clock ticked. But Lehner got a piece of Pak with his glove and was forced to work overtime.
Vancouver had a prime chance to equalize in the middle of the third after calling Marchesalt for a trip to Miller.
Harvard and Quinn Hughes got Lehner into trouble with a hard shot, but the Vegas netminder was adamant until his teammate Braden McNabe had just three seconds left on the penalty.
McNab was called up for the delay in the game, giving the Canucks the gift of a very short five-in-three advantage.
The home team capitalizes on odd goals.
Harvat lost to William Carlson but Pak came out, hitting Vegas defender Alec Martinez with a stick and Lehner equalizing at 9:42.
Vancouver was 1 for 3 with Man Advantage on Sunday while Vegas was 0 for 3.
The Canucks rallied early to halve their deficit, finishing third with a 2-0 lead.
Oliver Ekman-Larson gave Miller a short pass at the top of the slot and a rocket flew past Lehner 2-1 at 1:42.
Towards the end of the second half Vancouver were seen to be losing a crucial part when right winger Brock Boyesar was caught by Ben Hutton’s teammate Elias Peterson near the penalty box.
Boyesar got up and groaned in pain on the ice for a moment before skating on his wrist. He went straight to the locker room, but returned to start the third.
Canucks was already a man after Tucker Pullman did not join his teammates on the bench to start the second period.
The defenseman’s return to the line-up was marked after missing 26 matches when dealing with a migraine on Sunday, but Pullman played just four minutes, 25 seconds in the first leg. The team said he would not return due to an injury to his upper body.
Marchesalt put Vegas in the starting frame at 12:31, exploding a wrist shot from Demco over the face-off circle for his 28th goal of the season.
That number extends Marchesalt’s point streak to five games with three goals and six assists.
Jack Aichel sets up the opening strike, drawing Pietranjelo. The defender fired a short side shot that landed between Demco’s shoulder and the crossbar to give the spectators an early 1-0 lead.
Vegas outscored Vancouver 10-1 when Pietranjelo scored.
Vancouver’s first-best chance came late in the penalty shootout after Peterson was handed a double minor for a high stick in the Shia Theodore.
Harvat fled for a small hand break, only to see Lehner save a pad in his wrist shot.
Note: Forward Jason Dickinson returns to the Canucks lineup after missing 16 games due to a lower body injury. … The Golden Knights improved to 10-0-2 in a regular-season game against Canucks.