The Vegas Golden Knights secured a 3-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks in Game 1 of their second-round matchup Monday night at T-Mobile Arena.
The Golden Knights didn’t deliver their best game, getting outshot 34-22, but they made the most of their opportunities and capitalized on a fortunate non-call in the third period to walk away victorious.
Carter Hart was the best player on the ice, finishing the night with 33 saves on 34 shots for a .971 save percentage.
The Golden Knights now lead the best-of-seven series 1-0.
William Karlsson returned to the lineup for the first time since Nov. 8. He centered the third line between Tomas Hertl and Keegan Kolesar and recorded one shot, one hit and one penalty in 11:09. Ben Hutton also replaced the injured Jeremy Lauzon on the third pairing but skated just 8:47.
The Golden Knights took a penalty just 62 seconds into the series, which could have spelled trouble considering the Ducks had the top-rated power play (50 percent) in the first round. But the Vegas penalty kill picked up right where it left off after taking care of 15 of 16 Utah power plays in the first round.
Vegas got a power play of its own midway through the frame but was unable to convert.
The Golden Knights were significantly outplayed in the first period, but Hart bailed them out when needed. The Ducks led 11-6 in shots in the opening 20 minutes, but the numbers were even more one-sided at 5-on-5, where Anaheim led 19-12 in shot attempts, 11-3 in shots, 10-5 in scoring chances and 5-2 in high-danger chances.
After a scoreless first period, the Golden Knights finally broke through 3:14 into the second period. It was none other than the scorching-hot Brett Howden. Howden scored on a tap-in following an excellent play by Mitch Marner, who evaded a defender and then sent a perfect pass to Howden for the backdoor finish.
Leo Carlsson made an outstanding play of his own, which should have led to the equalizer for the Ducks. However, Jackson LaCombe elected to turn down the shot despite having the puck in front of a wide-open cage. Instead, he passed the puck to Troy Terry, who was covered in front.
The Golden Knights took two more penalties in the second period, but the penalty kill was there to neutralize Anaheim’s man-advantage, going 3-for-3 through 40 minutes.
The Ducks came out with a strong push to start the third, registering the first five shots on goal. For the third period in a row, the Golden Knights took a penalty early in the frame. However, once again, Vegas was able to take care of business while shorthanded to keep it a 1-0 game. Hart made two key saves, including on a one-timer by Cutter Gauthier, who was the Ducks’ leading goal-scorer in the regular season with 41.
The Golden Knights got their second power play of the game with 9:01 remaining in the third period when John Carlson was called for hooking, setting up a glorious opportunity to make it a two-goal game in the second half of the final frame.
However, Lukas Dostal made a sensational save on Mark Stone to prevent Vegas from cashing in.
The Ducks tied the game a few minutes later.
LaCombe made up for his earlier mistake when he drove to the net and stuffed the puck on Hart, creating a deep rebound, which Mikael Granlund buried.
But the resilient Golden Knights didn’t waste much time before responding. The play should have been blown for icing; instead, the Golden Knights took a 2-1 lead.
Jack Eichel’s work on the forecheck got the puck to Pavel Dorofeyev, who took it off the boards, headed towards the net and then fed the wide-open Ivan Barbashev for the weak-side tap-in.
The Ducks were livid with the non-call, but Vegas found itself leading with 4:58 remaining in the third. The go-ahead strike came just 1:05 after Granlund’s equalizer.
With the empty net, the Ducks had Vegas hemmed in its own end, but LaCombe fumbled the puck at the blue line to get Vegas a much-needed clear. The Golden Knights made a blazing-fast line change and then recovered the puck. Marner sent it down the ice and right into the empty cage to seal the 3-1 win.
The Ducks were the better team for much of the game. They led in shots (34-22), hits (37-26), shot attempts (69-52), scoring chances (34-24), high-danger chances (14-12) and expected goals (3.62-3.42).
But the experienced Golden Knights did what they had to do to win.
Leading the way in that department was Hart, who finally stole a playoff game for the Golden Knights. Hart finished the contest with 33 saves on 34 shots for a .971 save percentage. He was the best player on the ice all night, especially on the penalty kill. Even more impressively, he recorded 2.08 goals saved above expected, according to Money Puck.
Dostal, who made some key saves throughout — including on a Rasmus Andersson breakaway early in the first and on a Vegas power play late in the third — recorded 0.88 goals saved above expected.
The Golden Knights’ penalty kill is now 19-for-20 in the postseason, and it was a critical factor in the Game 1 victory Monday night. The Golden Knights took early penalties in all three periods, including at 1:02 in the first, 22 seconds into the second and 2:31 into the third. All three of those opportunities could have been game-changers, but the penalty kill continued its stellar play.
The Golden Knights were outstanding at defending entries and winning races to loose pucks while shorthanded, which made life very difficult for Anaheim’s power play.
Howden now leads the team in goals with five, all of which have come in the last four games. He continues to go to the right places, and the puck is finding him; he has been finishing his chances, and it’s a key reason why the Golden Knights have won four games in a row.
Marner also had another standout performance, taking care of all the little things in his game in addition to setting up Howden’s second-period tally and scoring the empty-net goal after a quick line change late in the third.
That being said, the Golden Knights primarily relied on the top two pairings on defense, with Kaedan Korczak playing 13:14 and Hutton getting just 8:47 of ice time. It’s unclear if Lauzon will be out long-term, but that’s not a sustainable option for John Tortorella, especially if some of the games go beyond regulation and considering the youth and speed throughout Anaheim’s lineup.
The Golden Knights will have to be much better for Game 2 if they want to retain home-ice advantage. The Ducks are sure to be motivated, particularly considering the game-winner came on a controversial play.
Statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and Money Puck.
Photo courtesy of the Golden Knights