The Vegas Golden Knights found their way back into the win column with a commnanding 6-1 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Kings Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena.
The Golden Knights halted a three-game losing skid and improved to 4-0-0 on home ice this season thanks to a four-point performance by Tomas Hertl, who found the scoresheet three times in the first period alone.
Vegas was without Shea Theodore, who was a late scratch due to illness; in his stead, Kaedan Korczak made his season debut, and he wasted no time recording his first point of the year with a secondary assist in the opening frame.
It was the Golden Knights’ third goal on their first eight shots of the night.
The first came courtesy of Hertl at 9:07, as the Golden Knights’ power play went to work. Mark Stone found Hertl in front, and a persistent effort resulted in Hertl’s second goal of the year.
Vegas scored again on the power play when Stone found twine on a double deflection. The shot came from Noah Hanifin, who was back on the top unit in place of Theodore. Hertl deflected the shot in the slot before Stone redirected it into the net.
Vegas extended its lead to three when Pavel Dorofeyev netted his third of the year.
Hertl tipped Korczak’s point shot, then sent the rebound off Kings netminder David Rittich’s pads before Dorofeyev slammed the ensuing rebound towards the net. The puck hit the post and then hit the Kings defender in the paint before crossing the goal line.
Vegas’ second and third goals of the period came in the span of just 81 seconds.
It took more than 19 minutes, but the Kings scored the only goal of the second period.
Vegas gave Los Angeles six minutes of power-play time in the middle frame, but Vegas’ penalty kill came through with consecutive kills, including on a double-minor.
Vegas benefited from some puck luck, as Los Angeles hit the post multiple times. However, it was a strong stand by the shorthanded units, and Ilya Samsonov came up with a few key stops.
But the Kings would not be denied, as Warren Foegele eventually broke through, winning a battle in front and lifting the puck over Samsonov with less than a minute in the period.
However, the Golden Knights did not sit back in the third period.
Alexander Holtz scored his first as a Golden Knight just under three minutes in. Alex Pietrangelo made a strong play along the boards before finding Holtz in the slot for the one-timer.
Hertl then recorded his fourth point of the game with his first 5-on-5 goal of the season, cashing in on a loose puck in the crease for his third of the year.
Ivan Barbashev extended Vegas’ lead to five with his fifth of the season five minutes later.
Stone’s primary assist on the play was his third point of the night. Pietrangelo assisted on all three third-period tallies.
The Golden Knights closed out the win to improve to 4-2-1 on the year.
Significantly, the Golden Knights remained aggressive even after taking a lead, which was not the case during the team’s recent 0-2-1 road trip.
After going up 1-0 in the first, Vegas lit the lamp twice in 81 seconds to triple its lead. After the Kings got on the board late in the second, Vegas responded with three more goals in the third period to leave no doubt.
The Golden Knights played much better as a team, but it was Hertl’s night to shine.
Prior to the game, his play had been underwhelming, and it was particularly flat during the Golden Knights’ recent road trip.
But he made a statement with his two-goal, four-point night. All four of those points were the result of hard work in front of the net, making it all the more encouraging for Vegas. Hertl continues to be a difference-maker on Vegas’ man-advantage, though his contributions at 5-on-5 were especially promising.
The second line of Hertl, Dorofeyev and Brett Howden held a 12-9 edge in Corsi, 7-4 advantage in shots and 2-0 lead in goals with a 69.34 percent expected goal share — the best of any Vegas line — in 10:22.
It was another solid performance by Samsonov, who picked up his second win of the year. He finished the contest with 32 saves on 33 shots for a .970 save percentage, and he made timely saves to prevent Los Angeles from getting back into the game.
The Golden Knights’ special teams were perfect, finishing 2-for-2 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. Vegas’ two power-play goals in the first period set the tone, and the penalty kill’s strong effort in the second period allowed Vegas to hold on to the momentum as well as the lead.
The defense’s role in the win cannot be underestimated, however. The Golden Knights blocked 21 shots, were much better in the neutral zone and were much stronger against the rush and on breakouts. Bruce Cassidy changed the pairs in an effort to spark such a response, and the Golden Knights delivered.
Holtz finding the back of the net is an important hurdle for the young winger, who had come close in recent games but wasn’t able to finish. Dorofeyev looks better and more confident every game, and the chemistry between Hertl and Dorofeyev continues to strengthen.
After dropping three straight and blowing six consecutive one-goal leads against Tampa Bay and Florida, the Golden Knights never took their foot off the gas, and a dominant third period put the finishing touches on the bounce-back effort.
Whether being at home or facing a team in the midst of an extended road trip played a factor is difficult to say, but the Golden Knights cleaned up the areas of their game that cost them on the road and turned out their best overall game of the year.
Vegas will be back in action with a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday against the Senators and Sharks, respectively.
Statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.