Eichel's Overtime Winner Capped a Late Comeback in the First Home Preseason Game

by Ryan Rose

What Happened

The Golden Knights scored first. Just before the midway mark of the first period, Victor Olofsson fired home a one-timer off a pass from Shea Theodore. Utah answered with 1:39 left in the opening period on a goal from Zac Jones. Less than a minute later, Liam O'Brien scored to give the Mammoth a 2-1 lead heading into the intermission.

The second period belonged to Utah. Artem Duda scored with 5:54 left in the middle frame to put the Mammoth up 3-1. At that point, it looked like the home crowd might go home disappointed. Vegas needed two goals in the third period just to force overtime.

The comeback started just over five minutes into the third. Defenseman Jeremy Lauzon wound up from the point and blasted a slapshot into the net to cut the lead to 3-2. Then, with 6:54 left in regulation and Vegas on the power play, Eichel sent a shot toward the net. Stone gathered the rebound in the slot and beat Utah goalie Sebastian Cossa to tie the game 3-3.

Utah was not done. Tomas Lavoie put the Mammoth back in front with 1:31 remaining in the third period. That could have been the end, but Vegas answered in less than a minute. Mitch Marner slid a backdoor pass to Tomas Hertl, and Hertl buried it to tie the game 4-4 and send it to overtime.

Overtime did not last long. Less than a minute into the extra period, Eichel slipped a wrist shot past Cossa on the far side. Game over, 5-4 Vegas. After the game, Eichel, Olofsson, Noah Hanifin and head coach Ryan Craig spoke to the media, according to the team's official recap on NHL.com.

Look at the names on those late goals and you see the core of this roster. Eichel had a hand in two of the last three Vegas goals. Stone, Hertl and Marner were all part of the late push. Those are the players the Golden Knights will lean on when the games start to count, and they came through in a tight spot against a Utah team that kept pushing all night.

The depth players deserve credit too. Olofsson got the first goal, and Lauzon, a defenseman better known for blocking shots and playing a physical game, started the comeback with his slapshot from the point. The power-play goal by Stone also matters. Special teams often decide close games in October, and scoring with the man advantage when the team needed it most is a good early sign.

A hockey player on the ice with a stick, the kind of close-range chance Jack Eichel finished in overtime against the Utah Mammoth

How the Preseason Wrapped Up

The Mammoth game was the third of four preseason games for Vegas. The Golden Knights opened on Saturday, Sept. 19, with a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings in Ontario, California. On Tuesday, Sept. 22, they beat the San Jose Sharks 2-1 in a shootout. Then came the 5-4 overtime win over Utah on Sept. 24.

The finale on Saturday, Sept. 26, did not go their way. San Jose's Dmitry Orlov scored on the power play with 40 seconds left in the first period. Macklin Celebrini made it 2-0 about six minutes into the second. Hertl cut the lead in half with a power-play goal with 2:36 left in the second, cleaning up a loose puck in the crease after a Theodore shot.

Three minutes into the third period, Nic Dowd tied the game 2-2 off a cross-slot pass from Brett Howden. Six minutes later, Mason Marchment put San Jose back in front, and Michael Misa sealed it with five minutes left. The final was 4-2 Sharks. The team reported attendance of 17,262 for that game at T-Mobile Arena.

So the final preseason record was 3-1. Hertl scored in both home games that week. The team got a late-game comeback, a shootout win, and a road win, and it also got a reminder in the last game that it still has things to clean up before the real season begins.

Why It Matters to Las Vegas Residents

A preseason game does not count in the standings, so why should anyone care? Because in Las Vegas, the Golden Knights are more than a team. They are one of the things that turned this valley from a place people visit into a place people live. When the team plays well, the whole town feels it, from the office break room to the youth rink to the neighborhood coffee shop.

The first home game of the preseason is also the first time many locals get back inside T-Mobile Arena after the summer. For a lot of families, preseason games are a lower-cost way to see NHL hockey in person, bring the kids, and get back into the routine of game nights. A two-goal comeback capped by an overtime winner from the team's best player is exactly the kind of night that gets people excited for the season.

There is also a practical side. Game nights change traffic around the Strip and the arena. Home games bring heavier traffic on Tropicana Avenue, Frank Sinatra Drive, and the I-15 ramps near the resort corridor. If you commute through that area, the season schedule is worth knowing. With the regular season starting Tuesday, Sept. 29, those busy nights are about to become a regular part of the calendar again.

Finally, the team is part of the local economy. Arena workers, bars and restaurants near the Strip, and businesses across the valley that put on watch parties all get a lift from a strong team. When the Golden Knights win, people go out. That money stays in Clark County and supports local jobs. A good start sets the tone for how busy those businesses will be all winter.

For newer residents, a night like this is also an easy way in. If you moved here in the last year or two, cheering for the local team is one of the fastest ways to feel connected. You can talk about Eichel's overtime goal with a coworker, a neighbor over the fence, or another parent at the rink. Those small conversations are a big part of how people put down roots in a new city.

An ice hockey player skating with the puck, a reminder of the youth and adult hockey scene that has grown around the Vegas Golden Knights

Background and History

The Golden Knights began play in the 2017-18 season. This year is Season X, the team's 10th season in the NHL. In that short time, Vegas has become one of the league's most consistent teams. The club won the Stanley Cup in 2023, and it has built a fan base that packs T-Mobile Arena on a regular basis.

Eichel has been at the center of that story since he arrived in Vegas. He was the top-line center when the team won the Cup, and he remains the player the offense runs through. Seeing him set up one late goal and score the overtime winner in the first home game of the preseason is a good sign for fans who want him healthy and sharp from the start.

This season also brings a new voice behind the bench. Ryan Craig is the head coach, and he is not new to Southern Nevada. He spent years as an assistant in Vegas and later coached the Henderson Silver Knights, the team's AHL affiliate in Henderson. We covered that local connection in our Golden Knights Season X week roundup. The Mammoth game was one of his first chances to coach this group in front of the home crowd.

The opponent matters too. The Utah Mammoth play in Salt Lake City, straight up I-15 from Las Vegas. That makes Utah one of the closest NHL teams to Vegas on the map. For fans, it is the kind of matchup that could grow into a real regional rivalry over the next few years, and a comeback win like this one is a good way to start that story.

It also helps to remember what the preseason is for. Coaches use these games to test line combinations, look at young players, and get veterans back up to game speed. Results matter less than habits. That is why a late comeback is worth talking about. Teams that keep pushing when they are down two goals in an exhibition game tend to carry that attitude into the games that count.

What Happens Next

The preseason is over, and the real games start right away. The Golden Knights open the 2026-27 regular season on Tuesday, Sept. 29, against the Chicago Blackhawks at T-Mobile Arena. Opening Knight festivities will take place before the game in Paramount+ Plaza, next to the arena. The game will air on ESPN, and fans can listen on 107.9 KVGS and in Spanish on 105.7 Maxima.

Before the opener, the team still has roster decisions to finalize. Training camp started with a big group of players and was cut down over the past two weeks, with many players sent to the Henderson Silver Knights. We covered those moves in VGK Cut Camp to 28, Send 9 to Henderson. The final opening-night roster will show which young players earned a spot and which ones will start the year in Henderson.

On the ice, the big question is whether the late-game push against Utah carries over. The last preseason game against San Jose showed the team still has work to do, especially early in games. Falling behind 2-0 or 3-1 at home is not a habit any coach wants to bring into October. The first few weeks of the regular season will show whether the stars can create the same kind of late magic when the points are real.

Fans should also watch Hertl. He scored in both home preseason games, including the tying goal against Utah and the power-play goal against San Jose. If he keeps finding open ice around the crease, and if Eichel, Stone and Marner keep feeding him the puck, Vegas will have a lot of ways to score. A deep group of scorers is what helps a team survive the long regular-season grind that runs through the winter and into spring.

Ryan's Take

I love a comeback, and I love that it happened at home. Working with buyers and sellers all over this valley, I see how much the Golden Knights changed the feel of Las Vegas. Before the team, a lot of people who moved here still cheered for the team from wherever they came from. Now you see VGK flags on houses in Summerlin, Henderson, North Las Vegas and Southwest Las Vegas. That shared team gives people something to talk about with their neighbors, and that is how a place starts to feel like home.

From a real estate point of view, a pro team does not set home prices by itself. But it is part of the story I tell buyers who are moving here from other states. People want to know what life looks like after work and on weekends. Hockey in October, a packed arena, youth rinks in Summerlin and Henderson, and a team that wins big games are real parts of that answer. If you are thinking about moving to Las Vegas, the Golden Knights are one more reason this city works as a full-time home, not just a place to visit.

Hockey players on the ice during a night game under the lights, like a Golden Knights home game at T-Mobile Arena

What You Can Do

If you want to be at T-Mobile Arena for the start of Season X, the regular season opener is Tuesday, Sept. 29, against the Chicago Blackhawks. Get there early for the Opening Knight events in Paramount+ Plaza, and give yourself extra time for traffic and parking near the Strip. You can find single-game tickets on the team's official website. If you are watching from home, the opener is on ESPN, and the radio call is on 107.9 KVGS and 105.7 Maxima.

If you missed the Mammoth game, the team posted the full recap and postgame interviews with Eichel, Olofsson, Hanifin and Coach Craig on NHL.com. It is worth a look to see the late goals and hear how the team felt about the comeback. The final preseason recap against San Jose is there too.

If your family is getting into hockey because of the Golden Knights, now is a great time to look at youth programs at local rinks like City National Arena in Summerlin and America First Center in Henderson. And if you are house hunting and want to live close to the arena, a practice rink, or a quick route to I-15 for game nights, tell your agent early. Where you live compared to the things you love to do is one of the biggest parts of daily life in Las Vegas.

Have questions about how this affects your home or neighborhood? Reach out to Ryan Rose or text/call 702-747-5921 anytime.