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Vegas Golden Knights Close Out 2021 With 3-1 Victory Over Anaheim Ducks

The Golden Knights were without Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, Nicolas Hague, Brett Howden, and Robin Lehner for the final contest of the year, but they closed out 2021 on a high note with a 3-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. It was an interesting game that was mostly one-sided with four goals, three fights, and 62 PIMs, but it ended with two points and a W for the Golden Knights.

The team did get a boost with the return of Alex Pietrangelo, Evgenii Dadonov, and Nolan Patrick to the lineup, and Pete DeBoer was also back behind the bench after missing time due to the COVID-19 protocol.

It was a game that could have been even uglier had John Gibson of the Ducks not stood on his head making 42 saves on 45 shots, but it wasn’t enough to keep his team in the game.

First Period

Nicolas Roy (7) assisted by Ben Hutton (5) – 11:15

Nicolas Roy continues to be a really nice story for the Knights, and he set a new career high in goals after redirecting a shot by Ben Hutton to give the team a 1-0 lead.

Adam Brooks (2) assisted by Dylan Coghlan (7) and Chandler Stephenson (24) – 18:25

Vegas scored their second goal of the period with a few minutes left to go, although it wasn’t quite obvious at first because of how the puck got lodged in the net. Brooks let good a shot that went directly in, and found itself stuck under the top of net.

Second Period

Mattias Janmark (4) – 4:39

Janmark had a nice game for the Golden Knights, and did some nice work on this goal. He started by driving to the net, and at the last minute dished it off to Keegan Kolesar who was denied. The puck eventually was moved away from John Gibson, and it was kicked out to the faceoff dot where Janmark just happened to be standing and he fired the loose puck on goal for his fourth goal of the season. There was quite a bit of traffic in front, and it gave the Knights a 3-0 lead.

Third Period

Ryan Getzlaf (2) assisted by Sonny Milano (14) and Vinni Lettieri (2) PPG – 19:48

Getzlaf and the Ducks spoiled Laurent Brossoit’s shutout bid with 11.4 seconds remaining in the game. The Ducks were on the power play, and Getzlaf found himself alone in front for an easy tap in after getting fed by Milano.

Three Stars of the Game

First Star — Nicolas Roy — 1-0-1, 17:28 TOI

Second Star — Mattias Janmark — 1-0-1, 14:59 TOI

Third Star — Laurent Brossoit — 15 saves, .938 SV%

The Golden Knights are scheduled to play next on Sunday, January 2 vs. the Winnipeg Jets.