If Monday’s third period was “inexcusable” in the words of coach Bruce Cassidy, Thursday almost reached a new level.

The Golden Knights scored five times in the first period. They led by three at the end of the second.

And they almost lost.

But two-goal games from right wing Keegan Kolesar and left wing Ivan Barbashev were enough for the Knights to win 7-5 over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday at T-Mobile Arena.

The Knights (35-18-6) led 5-1 after the first period, and the third line accounted for three of them. Kolesar scored 1:06 into the game off a turnover, center Brett Howden and left wing Barbashev assisted on defenseman Nic Hague’s goal at 8:57, and Barbashev scored on the power play at 12:17.

Chicago (17-35-7) answered with two goals in the first 5:30 of the second period to cut the lead to 5-3, but Kolesar scored his second at 13:38 to make it 6-3.

Goaltender Ilya Samsonov, who allowed all five goals Monday in a 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings — giving up four in the third period — allowed five in his second straight start. Right wing Ilya Mikheyev made it 6-4 at 6:56, and center Philipp Kurashev cut it to one at 9:44.

Samsonov has allowed 13 goals in his past three starts.

Barbashev added an insurance goal with 4:15 left to cap off his four-point night. The new-look third line of Kolesar, Barbashev and Howden (three assists) combined for nine points.

The Knights used the first period to rid themselves of all frustration after letting Monday’s game get away. They dominated the first 20 minutes against a Blackhawks team that dropped to 1-6-2 in their past nine games. Their No. 1 defenseman, Seth Jones, publicly requested a trade and called out his team that “hasn’t made any strides to be a better, more simple hockey team.”

A win is a win, but the Knights nearly had another one get away. This one would’ve been worse.

Here are three takeaways from the win:

1. Martinez returns

Defenseman Alec Martinez played 19:49 in his first game at T-Mobile Arena since signing a one-year, $4 million contract with Chicago on July 1.

Martinez played the previous 4½ seasons with the Knights after they acquired him in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 19, 2020, for two second-round picks. The 37-year-old, who won the Stanley Cup twice with the Kings in 2012 and 2014, was a key piece in the Knights’ championship in 2023.

Martinez was given a video tribute during the first TV timeout and was met with a rousing ovation.

“I’m very appreciative of the whole organization for bringing me in there,” Martinez said. “I look at it as some of the favorite times and years of my career. It’s something that, probably when I’m done, I’ll think about it more. I certainly look back on my time here fondly.”

2. Pearson reaches 700

Left wing Tanner Pearson played 8:31 in his 700th NHL game.

A first-round pick from the 2012 draft, Pearson has appeared in all but three games this season. The 32-year-old turned a professional tryout deal into a one-year contract as a constant on the Knights’ fourth line.

“Every time you can hit a milestone like that, you look back as a kid, and obviously this was the dream, right?” Pearson said. “For it to become a reality and play as long as I’ve been around has been a privilege.”

3. Broken wrist?

Knights defenseman Shea Theodore suffered a broken wrist while playing for Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off, Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley said on SiriusXM Radio on Thursday.

Harley said he received a phone call from Dallas general manager Jim Nill the day after Theodore suffered the injury and had to report to Montreal for the tournament.

Theodore has begun his rehab assignment but is not ready to rejoin the team on the ice. He’s listed as week-to-week with no timetable for a return.

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