Golden Knights' Jack Eichel Nets Hat Trick And Brett Howden Hits A Milestone In A Dominant Win

The Vegas Golden Knights thrashed the Minnesota Wild 5-1 thanks to a hat trick from Jack Eichel and a milestone-setting goal from Brett Howden. 

Eichel and Tomas Hertl have not only been two of the hottest players on the Golden Knights, but two of the hottest players in the NHL. With Tomas Hertl out for at least a week, the Golden Knights were in search of more goal-scoring, and Eichel stepped up.

Hertl and Pavel Dorofeyev lead the team with 30 goals, and Eichel looks poised for a late push to steal that crown. The 28-year-old opened the scoring in the first period, finishing off a neat behind-the-back pass by captain Mark Stone. 

He'd added his second of the game in the third period with his patent shot from the half wall on the power play. Very few players in the NHL can load up a one-timer like Eichel can, but on this goal he didn't need to. He corralled the puck and fired a wrist shot into the top corner. 

With the Golden Knights up 4-1, Eichel was sprung on a 2-on-1 and beat former Golden Knights Marc-Andre Fleury through the legs to complete the hat trick, bringing him up to 26 goals, now just four back of the team lead. 

"He's just a good player, he stands out every night," said HC Bruce Cassidy. "There was a little fatigue a month ago coming out of the tournament, and he seems to have found his rhythm again."

Eichel deservedly took the headlines, but Howden's second-period tally did not go unnoticed. The former 2016 first-round pick has obliterated his previous career-highs and has reached the 20-goal milestone for the first time in his career. 

His 34 points ranked eighth on the team, and his 20 goals are equal with Ivan Barbashev for the fourth most. 

The 26-year-old was drafted into the NHL for his two-way game and high work ethic, but also for his point production in the juniors. He was never able to carve out a role with the New York Rangers, but things began to click for Howden when he joined the Golden Knights.

He found his spot playing in the bottom six, providing energy and speed to go along with his defensive acumen at 5-on-5 and the penalty kill.

"That's good for Howie," said Cassidy. "We use everywhere in the lineup, and he doesn't always get the glory offensive spots and o-zone starts, he doesn't get any power play time, so good on him. It was a hard-working goal and that tends to be a lot of his goals."

Multiple key contributors exited the organization in the previous offseason, which opened up space for Howden to garner a larger role. 

His 14:51 of ice time is the highest of his Golden Knights tenure, and Cassidy has trusted Howden to play up and down the line, as well as in the middle of the ice or on the wing. He's become an indispensable player for the Golden, and it's why he was given a five-year contract. 

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