Golden Knights’ top 5 games: Here’s No. 4 on the RJ’s list

Editor’s note: With the NHL season suspended indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Review-Journal will count down the Golden Knights’ top five games of the season, in our opinion.

The game: Game No. 44, a 5-4 home win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 2.

The background: Part of this game’s appeal is that it was so unexpected.

The Knights entered 22-15-6. The Flyers were 22-13-5. Good but not great records. No hints of the fireworks to come, especially since the Knights were 6-9-3 against teams that had a playoff spot at the time, such as the Flyers.

The only real notable pregame development was Jonathan Marchessault’s lower-body injury. It ended up being a factor.

What happened: In a word, everything? It’s hard to fit more into a single game.

Marchessault’s injury led to him being scratched, and the resulting lineup shuffle put defenseman Jon Merrill at fourth-line left wing. Naturally, Merrill responded to the position switch by scoring his first goal of the season 11:27 into the game.

It was one of the Knights’ four first-period goals, which tied a season high for the most in a period. But that wasn’t enough to get the Flyers to go away quietly.

Philadelphia scored twice in the first period and trailed 5-3 after the teams traded goals in the second. Then things really got out of hand.

Center Sean Couturier cut the Flyers’ deficit to one 15 seconds into the third. The Knights held up well defensively afterward — allowing seven shots on goal in the next 17 minutes — until the penalties started.

Right wing Reilly Smith was called for delay of game with 2:46 remaining, giving Philadelphia the chance to tie the game on the power play. Defenseman Deryk Engelland then was called for cross-checking after the whistle 1:17 later. The Flyers pulled goaltender Carter Hart to give them the extremely rare 6-on-3 power play.

But Marc-Andre Fleury stopped five shots in the final three minutes, and the Knights miraculously won in regulation.

“It was a roller coaster,” said left wing Max Pacioretty, who finished with two goals. “It seemed like we faced pretty much every situation tonight, whether it was a power play, penalty kill. Being up, being back on our heels. Overall, it’s a good team win. We relied upon everyone from the goalie to the killers to offensive guys to contribute tonight, and sometimes that makes winning feel extra special.”

Game MVP: Fun fact: Only one forward in Knights history has as many career points and goals per game as Merrill (1), so he has to get the win here.

All kidding aside, it’s impressive what Merrill did on short notice. He guessed he hadn’t played forward in 13 years before the Flyers’ game.

He looked like a natural in his 9:11 of ice time.

“There were a few times where I caught myself skating backward and kind of got out of position, but it was a huge win for our team and a lot of fun,” Merrill said. “We’re all hockey players, and when you’re out there having fun, your instincts kick in, and I think that’s what happened tonight.”

The aftermath: This win only looks better in hindsight because the Flyers took off afterward.

They have the fourth-best points percentage in the NHL and were 9-1 in their past 10 games when play was suspended last week.

The Knights didn’t take much time to celebrate, though. Then-coach Gerard Gallant walked out of the postgame news conference. He coached five more games — going 1-4 — before being fired Jan. 15 and replaced by Pete DeBoer.

Why it’s No. 4: What more could you want in a hockey game? A fun matchup, an unexpected goal and a thrilling conclusion that left everyone breathless.

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.