The Golden Knights strike first blow but are unhappy with Caps’ borderline hit.

LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights still think Tom Wilson's third-period hit on Jonathan Marchessault was very late and probably dirty.

They also believe it sparked their comeback victory in the Stanley Cup Final opener.

Wilson and the Washington Capitals still insist he did nothing wrong when he leveled Marchessault. The NHL agreed with Wilson on Tuesday, declining to discipline the hard-charging forward.

But after the collision and the resulting scrums, Vegas coach Gerard

Gallant saw a renewed vigor in his Knights. They quickly got Tomas Nosek's go-ahead goal and surged one game closer to an improbable championship with a 6-4 victory.

“The good thing about the hit is it really woke our team up,” Gallant said after an optional practice leading up to Game 2 on Wednesday night.

Wilson, who served a three-game suspension in the second round for breaking the jaw of Pittsburgh's Zach AstonReese, and the Capitals still insist the hard-charging forward did nothing wrong when he leveled the Golden Knights' top playoff scorer.

“It's within the rules,” Wilson said after practice at T-Mobile Arena. “It's a clean hit.”

The NHL Department of Player Safety agreed when it decided not to discipline Wilson for the shoulder-to-shoulder hit.