Updated April 6, 2025 – 11:54 pm
Victor Olofsson was told to be a little more selfish.
Olofsson, on his line with center William Karlsson and right wing Reilly Smith, needs to be a shooter. He’s got a quick release and precise accuracy. He needs to let it fly.
The message got through loud and clear. Olofsson was rewarded for listening to it Sunday.
The left wing scored a go-ahead goal with 3:14 remaining to help the Golden Knights defeat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 at Rogers Arena.
Karlsson, after winning a defensive-zone faceoff, carried the puck behind the Vancouver net and found Olofsson in front of the crease for only Olofsson’s third goal since Jan. 23.
“It was a perfect play by Karly skating up the ice and me in front of the net,” Olofsson said.
The goal came after a lot of hard work.
Olofsson had a career-high nine shots on goal Saturday in the Knights’ 3-2 overtime win over the Calgary Flames. He had another five Sunday.
“It was nice to get it finally,” Olofsson said. “I think I had about 15 chances these last couple of games.”
His goal gave the Knights (47-22-8) their fifth straight road win and pushed their lead in the Pacific Division to five points over the second-place Los Angeles Kings (44-23-9) with five games to play.
Left wing Ivan Barbashev and center Nicolas Roy also scored, while goaltender Adin Hill made 19 saves.
The Knights started slow Sunday in their second game in 24 hours. The Canucks (35-29-13) had a 6-1 edge in shots on goal through the first 4:46 and grabbed a 1-0 lead when left wing Nils Hoglander pounced on a rebound.
The goal woke the Knights up.
They fired the game’s next five shots and scored twice in that span. Barbashev tied the game 8:36 into the first period after using a backhand move to get around Vancouver goaltender Kevin Lankinen. Roy gave the Knights a 2-1 lead with 6:45 remaining until the first intermission after his shot bounced off defenseman Victor Mancini’s skate and into the net.
“Tonight, I thought we were good. Maybe the first couple of shifts, they jumped on us,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Other than that, I thought we did a good job containing the rush game.”
The Canucks responded in the second period with a goal from center Aatu Raty 8:03 into the frame. Cassidy challenged for goaltender interference given Raty appeared to impede Hill’s movement in the crease on the play, but the call was upheld.
“To me, (Raty) in the crease by himself, our goalie is trying to make a save with one glove and he can’t,” Cassidy said. “He went in there on his own, didn’t allow our goaltender to play the possession.”
The Knights didn’t let it affect them. They dominated the third period, outshooting Vancouver 12-2 and taking the lead on Olofsson’s late goal.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
1. Line is rolling
The Knights have found something with Karlsson, Olofsson and Smith.
They’ve generated chances off the rush and provided key secondary scoring. Smith scored twice Saturday in the Knights’ win.
“I think all of us work really hard. When it’s your turn in the game, that’s our mindset,” Olofsson said. “We’re not trying to play too pretty always. Just keep it simple and we’re going to take the chances when we get them.”
The Knights outshot the Canucks 11-7 at five-on-five with the trio on the ice Sunday.
“That line is starting to score some goals around the front of the net,” Cassidy said. “They’ll be dangerous because they’re fast on the rush all the time. Mix in some o-zone goals, and I like the way it looks.”
2. Lankinen strong
The Canucks’ backup goalie did his part to keep his team in it.
Lankinen made 32 saves in the loss, including 11 in the third period.
It was Lankinen’s first start since allowing six goals March 28 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He responded well when called upon.
The defeat put a significant damper on Vancouver’s playoff chances. The Canucks are eight points back of the Minnesota Wild, who hold the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, with five games to play.
3. Crucial penalty kill
A team’s best penalty killer is sometimes its goaltender. Hill was for the Knights after Raty’s goal was upheld.
His best save of the game came on the ensuing Canucks power play when he robbed center Pius Suter with his glove.
Adin Hill robs Pius Suter. That was an incredible save by the Vegas goaltender
🎥: Sportsnet | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/TDEUGXTKag
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) April 7, 2025
Hill helped the Knights finish 2-for-2 on the penalty kill after they went 4-for-4 on Saturday behind goaltender Akira Schmid.
“Good for Hilly. I’m sure he appreciates we went to bat for him (with the challenge),” Cassidy said.
Contact Danny Webster at [email protected]. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
