Reilly Smith's 2 goals lead Golden Knights to 5-3 comeback win over Blue Jackets

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Reilly Smith scored twice, Mark Stone extended his goal streak to six games and the Vegas Golden Knights overcame an early injury to goalie Carter Hart, rallying past the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-3 on Thursday night.

It was Smith's first two-goal game since scoring twice on April 5 last season against Calgary. Stone had three points and added to his career-best goal streak that is one behind the Golden Knights record set by Max Pacioretty in 2021.

Jack Eichel had a goal and an assist for Vegas, Brett Howden also scored and Mitch Marner and Tomas Hertl each had two assists. Akira Schmid made 21 saves in relief of Hart, who went out at 8:24 of the first period.

Boone Jenner had a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets. Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko both scored, and Sean Monahan finished with two assists. Jet Greaves stopped 21 shots.

It's the first time the Golden Knights have won back-to-back games since winning at Philadelphia and Columbus on Dec. 11 and 13. Vegas, however, is tied with Edmonton for first place in the Pacific Division.

Columbus took a 2-0 lead midway through the first period, the first goal coming when Jenner got the puck past a clearly compromised Hart.

But then the Golden Knights roared back as Smith scored with 7:40 left in the first period and then 5:19 into the second to tie the game. Goals by Eichel at even strength and Stone on a power play made it 4-2 entering the second intermission.

Blue Jackets: Visit the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.

Golden Knights: Host the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Reilly Smith shoots against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner (93) handles the puck against Columbus Blue Jackets center Kent Johnson (91) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart (79) defends the net against Columbus Blue Jackets players during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Vegas Golden Knights players celebrate after a goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

A transfer portal spiraling out of control prompted the new regulatory body for college sports to issue a memo to athletic directors Friday night saying it has “serious concerns” about some of the multimillion-dollar contracts being offered to players.

The “reminder” from the College Sports Commission came out about an hour before kickoff of the semifinal between Indiana and Oregon in a College Football Playoff that has shared headlines with news of players signing seven-figure deals to move or, in some cases, stay where they are.

The CSC reminded the ADs that, according to the rules, third-party deals to use players' name, image and likeness “are evaluated at the time of entry in NIL Go, not before, and each deal is evaluated on its own merits.”

"Without prejudging any particular deal, the CSC has serious concerns about some of the deal terms being contemplated and the consequences of those deals for the parties involved," the memo said.

Under terms of the House settlement that dictated the rules for NIL payments, schools can share revenue with their players directly from a pool of $20.5 million. Third-party deals, often arranged by businesses created to back the schools, are being used as workarounds this so-called salary cap.

The CSC, through its NIL Go portal, is supposed to evaluate those deals to make sure they are for a valid business purpose and fall within a fair range of compensation for the services being provided.

The CSC did not list examples of unapproved contracts, but college football has seen its share of seven-figure deals luring players to new schools since the transfer portal opened on Jan. 2.

One high-profile case involved Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr., who initially sought to enter the transfer portal and turn his back on a reported deal worth $4 million with the Huskies. Legal threats ensued and Williams changed course and stayed at Washington.

"Making promises of third-party NIL money now and figuring out how to honor those promises later leaves student-athletes vulnerable to deals not being cleared, promises not being able to be kept, and eligibility being placed at risk," the CSC letter said.

The commission listed two rules about contracts it evaluates, some of which have been termed “agency agreement” or “services agreement” in what look like attempts to bypass the rules.

—"The label on the contract does not change the analysis; if an entity is agreeing to pay a student-athlete for their NIL, the agreement must be reported to NIL Go within the reporting deadline."

—"An NIL agreement or payment with an associated entity or individual ... must include direct activation of the student-athlete’s NIL rights." This is a reference to the practice of “warehousing” NIL rights by paying first, then deciding how to use them later.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks on the field before the Peach Bowl NCAA college football playoff semifinal against Indiana, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)