Vegas Golden Knights vs Chicago Blackhawks - NHL Game 1 - 2026 | Golden Knights Open Season 10 With a Statement

Game Summary: Vegas Golden Knights vs Chicago Blackhawks

Vegas came out with a plan, jumping on Chicago early and forcing the Blackhawks to spend most of the opening period chasing. Olofsson wasted no time making his return to the Golden Knights’ lineup count, absolutely ripping a power-play wrist shot past Spencer Knight to put Vegas ahead.

Then came the moment every rookie or little kid with hopes to go pro dreams about.

With less than five minutes remaining in the first, Connelly found a rebound around the crease and buried it for his first-ever NHL goal. The 20-year-old immediately lit up, getting mobbed by his teammates as the arena erupted around him.

Welcome to the NHL, kid.

The Blackhawks were not going quietly, though. Jordan Greenway finally cracked a hole in Carter Hart‘s shield midway through the second period, cutting the Vegas lead to 2-1 and giving Chicago some life back.

That’s when Eichel decided he wanted to put his name on the night.

A few minutes later, he shoveled a pass from Ivan Barbashev into the net for his 700th career point, regaining that two-goal cushion for Vegas and giving the home crowd another reason to roar.

Then came the third-period drama.

Patrick Kane, back in Blackhawks gear for the first time since February of 2023, made his return memorable by scoring early in the third period. Suddenly, it was 3-2, and Chicago had a pulse and was seemingly coming alive.

Vegas’s response?

Thirty-nine seconds.

Hanifin finished an odd-man rush with a shot from the high slot, immediately slamming the door shut on Chicago’s momentum and giving the Knights back control.

That’s the kind of answer a championship-caliber team loves to give.

Stone then eventually sealed the deal with an empty-net goal, sending the crowd home happy, chanting “Go Knights Go!”, and giving new head coach Ryan Craig his first NHL victory behind the Vegas bench.

For Craig, the win marked the beginning of a new era. For the Golden Knights, it looked an awful lot like business as usual.

Vegas finished the night with five different goal scorers, while Jack Eichel, Brayden McNabb, Shea Theodore and Barbashev all chipped in multiple points. Hart stopped 24 shots, while Knight kept Chicago in the fight with 32 saves.

And perhaps most importantly, the Golden Knights didn’t panic or crumble when Chicago pushed back.

They answered.

That was the story of the night.

Vegas is coming off a season in which it captured the Pacific Division title and Western Conference championship before falling to Carolina in the Stanley Cup Final. Opening night didn’t guarantee that this season would follow that same script.

But for one night, at least, the message was pretty clear:

The Golden Knights are back, the swagger is intact, and Season 10 has officially begun.

And if Tuesday was any indication, they’re not interested in wasting time getting started.

Post-Game

Connelly was not made available after the game (he was out celebrating with family), so his teammates did the talking. “He was cool as a cucumber,” Eichel said. “He’s been awesome all camp. He’s a great part of our locker room. He’s obviously a special player. So happy to see him get his first.”

Craig was just as happy with how the bench reacted: “Real happy to see how our bench reacted for him and how excited everybody was for him. Just a really special moment for Trevor and his family,” he said. McNabb, who had the shot Connelly redirected, kept it simple: “You love to see it. He had a great camp and he deserved it.”

The blue line had a big night, with McNabb and Theodore combining for four assists. “We were able to jump in at the right times,” McNabb said. “I think (Hanifin’s) goal was the perfect example. He had a good opportunity and he was able to finish.”

Craig said that is exactly the plan: “We want to be a 200-foot team in the sense that we can touch the puck or break out of our end from below the goal line. We want to look to get going, we want to make a good touch that allows us to attack.” Theodore put it shorter: “We’re just an offensive group.” (Quotes via the Las Vegas Review-Journal.)

Catch up on how last season ended with our Stanley Cup Final Game 6 recap and the Golden Knights 2025-26 season recap, and follow every game of Season 10 on the FSM Vegas Golden Knights hub.

TOP PERFORMERS

TEAM STATS

Goals: Olofsson (PP), Connelly, Eichel, Hanifin, Stone (EN) | Attendance: 17,838 at T-Mobile Arena

Next up: The Golden Knights host the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, Oct. 2, at T-Mobile Arena. Puck drop is 7 p.m. PT on Scripps Sports.

Franchise Sports Media. Las Vegas sports news about Las Vegas Sports teams.

– Jordan Vega – Franchise Sports Media

Follow Jordan on Instagram: @jordantvegas

Photography by Ethan De Leon (@ethanjsony) for Franchise Sports Media

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