Karlsson's late goal lifts Golden Knights past Utah Hockey Club

SALT LAKE CITY -- William Karlsson scored the go-ahead goal with 1:18 remaining, and the Vegas Golden Knights rallied for a 4-2 win against the Utah Hockey Club at Delta Center on Friday.

“We stuck with it and eventually we got rewarded,” Karlsson said. “We don't like to give up in here, and then when you have a good goalie, too, that helps a lot.”

Karlsson gave the Golden Knights a 3-2 lead when he redirected Kaedan Korczak's shot from the point over the right shoulder of Karel Vejmelka.

Karlsson then scored an empty-net goal with 29 seconds remaining for the 4-2 final.

“I think we were obviously much better,” Korczak said about the effort in the third period. “They didn’t really have too many chances. We kind of found our game there toward the end.”

Tomas Hertl also scored twice, and Jack Eichel had two assists for the Golden Knights (11-4-2), who have won two straight and are 4-1-1 in their past six. Adin Hill made 32 saves.

“They certainly had their way in the first, especially the last half of it,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We started to build our game in the second and third, and eventually we found it. Our intensity level was good and we started executing a little better, put them on their heels, and that's what can happen. All of a sudden, now you're pushing and you're creating turnovers.”

Logan Cooley and Mikhail Sergachev scored for Utah (7-7-3), which has lost two of three. Vejmelka made 25 saves.

“I think we had our chances. We had great opportunities throughout the game,” Utah coach Andre Tourigny said. “They just hung in there. They didn't have their A-game in the first period. They just hung in there, they held us there. Then from there they just pegged away slowly but surely and they scored a big goal (on the power play).”

Cooley gave Utah a 1-0 lead at 11:16 of the first period, scoring with a one-timer from the high slot off a pass from Matias Maccelli.

Sergachev made it 2-0 with a power-play goal at 6:59 of the second period. After being given space at the point, Sergachev skated down into the high slot before beating Hill glove side with a wrist shot.

“They were good, but it was on a different level,” Sergachev said. “We let it slip a little bit and kind of lost our focus and gave up, too. That should never happen.”

Hertl cut it to 2-1 with his own power-play goal at 13:37 of the second. He took a pass from Nicolas Roy and scored blocker side with a backhand from the slot.

Hertl then tied it 2-2 with another power-play goal at 8:23 of the third period. He received a short pass from Karlsson, who was in the bumper position, and beat Vejmelka glove side from in close.

“You need something good to happen. It finally did and that gets you going,” Cassidy said. “Then you realize, 'Hey, our goaltender is cooking tonight, we’re one down, let’s go get this thing.’ Maybe that’s the sign of a veteran group that can realize, 'You know what, it’s right there.' We got to our level and that’s what happened.”

NOTES: Eichel extended his point streak to five games (two goals, nine assists). ... Sergachev has four goals in 17 games this season after scoring two in 34 games for the Tampa Bay Lightning last season.