The Vegas Golden Knights shut out their opponent for the third time this season with a 3-0 win against the Calgary Flames Sunday night at T-Mobile Arena.
This was the Golden Knights’ second shutout win against Calgary this season after a 5-0 decision two months ago (Oct. 28). Vegas also defeated the Oilers 1-0 on Dec. 3.
The win extended Vegas’ winning streak to six games.
Ilya Samsonov stopped all 31 shots he faced for his first shutout with the Golden Knights. He and the Vegas special teams, particularly the penalty kill, played key roles in the club’s 25th win of the season.
The Golden Knights found themselves down two men late in the first period but were able to hold Calgary off the board to keep the game scoreless through 20 minutes. Vegas killed off the rest of the penalty at the start of the second and then took care of a delay-of-game minor halfway through the middle frame.
It took nearly 36 minutes, but the Golden Knights scored the first goal of the contest for the third straight game after falling behind 1-0 in their previous five.
Brett Howden netted what proved to be the game-winner with 4:01 remaining in the second period. Howden deflected Alex Pietrangelo’s shot in transition to finish off an excellent passing play that involved almost everyone on the ice.
The goal was originally credited to Pietrangelo but was later announced as Howden’s 15th of the year; he is now tied with Ivan Barbashev for the team lead.
Nearly 15 minutes into the third period, Vegas got some much-needed breathing room on the team’s fourth power play of the night. After generating six shots on a very dangerous — albeit unsuccessful — power play in the first period, the Golden Knights had two uneventful efforts, including one midway through the third.
However, on their second consecutive opportunity in the period, the Golden Knights finally broke through, as Victor Olofsson beat a stingy Dan Vladar on the one-timer for his eighth goal and fifth power-play tally of the year.
With just seven seconds on the clock, Tanner Pearson scored an empty-net goal to seal the win for Vegas; it was his second point of the game after recording the secondary assist on Howden’s marker. Shea Theodore also came away with multiple points after assisting on the Olofsson and Pearson goals.
It was a solid team effort by the Golden Knights, who got off to another strong start despite being unable to finish early. The Golden Knights were comfortable in a tight game and were able to hold on to the lead, which was a struggle earlier this season. Samsonov was a big part of that, as he made a number of difficult and timely saves.
The penalty kill, which was arguably the team’s weakest link early in the season, has transformed into one of the club’s best assets, and it was on full display tonight.
The power play also cashed in with a clutch goal in the final six minutes of regulation. The top unit moved the puck well, opening things up for Olofsson on the right side.
Like Friday’s game against the Sharks, though, this game was probably closer than it should have been, especially since Calgary was in the second half of a back-to-back. That being said, the Golden Knights never trailed, did a lot of things well and ultimately took care of business in a winnable game. Vegas is now 15-3-0 on home ice this season.
Notably, the Golden Knights have collected 44 of a possible 52 points against Western Conference teams this season and remain in first place in the league with 53 points (25-8-3).
The Golden Knights will wrap up 2024 Tuesday against Nick Suzuki and the Montreal Canadiens.