The Vegas Golden Knights (7-2-0) extended their winning streak to three games with a 4-0 win against the Anaheim Ducks (1-6-1) Friday afternoon at T-Mobile Arena.
Vegas jumped out to a 1-0 lead late in the first period and added three more goals in the second to secure the win.
Logan Thompson made 29 saves for his second shutout of the year. The Golden Knights had three as a team all of last season.
Chandler Stephenson opened the scoring with a power-play strike 15:12 into the opening frame.
Stephenson had the puck behind the net and recognized Anaheim’s soft coverage, electing to take the puck to the net himself; he stuffed it under the pads of John Gibson, who had another rough outing against Vegas.
It was Stephenson’s fourth goal in the last four games, and it extended his point streak to a career-best five games.
Chandler Stephenson drives to the net and is now on a five-game point streak! 🖐 pic.twitter.com/Nz0MQOsgWQ
— NHL (@NHL) October 28, 2022
But the second period was Vegas’ most efficient.
Despite trailing 21-13 in chances, the Golden Knights made the most of their opportunities, lighting the lamp three times on just eight shots.
The Misfit Line broke through with back-to-back goals to give Vegas a comfortable 3-0 lead.
First, it was Reilly Smith on a one-timer off a cross-ice feed from William Karlsson for the Golden Knights’ first shorthanded goal of the season.
It was Smith’s 100th goal as a member of the Golden Knights.
Congratulations to @reillysmith18 on goal #⃣1⃣0⃣0⃣ as a member of the @GoldenKnights!!! #shortie #misfit #vegasborn 🚨💪🥅⚔️ pic.twitter.com/hDe7RMDZay
— AT&T SportsNet™ | RM West (@ATTSportsNetRMW) October 28, 2022
Reilly Smith has joined linemates Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson as the only players to score 100 goals with VGK
— VGK Communications (@VGK_PR) October 29, 2022
Then, Karlsson joined in on the action 5:27 later, tipping a point shot by Jonathan Marchessault for his fourth goal of the year. It was his 15th career goal against Anaheim, by far the most he has scored against any team.
🤠🚨💪
🦆0⃣ | ⚔️3⃣ – 2nd period pic.twitter.com/AKlIl3pSrN
— AT&T SportsNet™ | RM West (@ATTSportsNetRMW) October 28, 2022
Late in the frame, Nicolas Roy netted his second of the year after the puck bounced over Kevin Shattenkirk’s stick and set him up on a breakaway.
Roy used a shoulder fake and then roofed the puck over Gibson’s shoulder to make it 4-0 with just 1:13 remaining.
we’re scoring all the live-long night until morning light 🎶 pic.twitter.com/m45UJrM8Wi
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 29, 2022
That ended the night for Gibson, who was replaced by Anthony Stolarz to start the third.
Stolarz made a fantastic stop to rob Mark Stone, but it was an otherwise-sleepy third period for a Golden Knights team sitting on a four-goal cushion. Vegas went 14 minutes between Marchessault shots and had just three in the frame.
However, Thompson closed out the win with some impressive stops, shutting down all 11 shots he faced.
The win helped the Golden Knights move to 7-2-0 on the year.
The Misfit Line delivered a vintage performance, combining for five points and finishing with a 70.53 percent expected goal share and 63.64 percent scoring chance share.
The Vegas power kill made an appearance, and it was a strong overall showing by Vegas’ special teams. The Golden Knights scored a power-play goal and a shorthanded goal while finishing the game 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.
The Golden Knights have been perfect on the penalty kill (6-for-6) in the last three games, all wins.
They managed just 22 shots but played a smart game and capitalized on chances, ultimately handing Anaheim its seventh straight loss.
Vegas will close out the month on Sunday with a home tilt against the Winnipeg Jets before heading out on a five-game road trip. The Golden Knights defeated Winnipeg 5-2 when these teams met at T-Mobile Arena earlier this month.