Cole Smith scored the winning goal at 12:13 of the third period, lifting the visiting Vegas Golden Knights to a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks in NHL action Tuesday at Rogers Arena.
Brayden McNabb had the other goal for Vegas (36-26-16), with Carter Hart earning the win in goal, facing just 10 shots and stopping nine.
Max Sasson had the lone goal for Vancouver (22-47-8), with Nikita Tolopilo sharp in net, making 26 saves.
Vegas carried the play in the first period, outshooting the Canucks 10-2 but they were unable to beat Tolopilo.
Sasson opened the scoring for the Canucks at 12:50 of the second period, beating Hart with a shot from the right offensive faceoff circle for his 13th goal of the year.
MAX OPENS THE SCORING! pic.twitter.com/wSY5fWfG6f
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) April 8, 2026
McNabb pulled the Knights event at 15:46, moving in from the left point and beating Tolopilo with a high shot for his fifth goal of the year.
Shots after two periods after two periods favoured Vegas, 22-7. With the seven shots, Vancouver matched their season-low after 40 minutes.
Smith scored the winner at 12:13 of the third off a Vancouver turnover, taking a nice feed from Nic Dowd in the slot and beating Tolopilo for his eighth goal of the year. The Canucks didn’t record a shot in the third until the 14-minute mark of the period.
The Canucks got a late power-play chance with 1:41 to play and pulled Tolopilo for a six-on-four advantage but could not beat Hart.
Vancouver sits last overall and has five games to play, with their next game set for Thursday (7:30 p.m.) when they visit the L.A. Kings. Vegas is currently tied for top spot in the Pacific Division with 88 points, along with the Edmonton Oilers. Both teams have four regular-season games remaining.
NOTES: Former Canucks head coach John Tortorella is now behind the Vegas bench, having taken over March 30 for the fired Bruce Cassidy. The Knights have won all four games under their new coach… Teddy Blueger assisted on Sasson’s goal and now has a four-game point streak… The Canucks are a dismal 8-27-5 at home this season.