Golden Knights Play Air-Tight Defense Against Washington, Skate Away With Solid 4-1 Win Saturday
Story by Alan Snel Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell
Remember all the stuff about “unfinished business” during the Vegas Golden Knights’ march to a Stanley Cup championship in June.
Five years earlier, the Golden Knights were also in the Stanley Cup Final. But it was the Washington Capitals that claimed their Cup on the VGK home ice in June 2018.
So, the Knights took a business-like approach to storming through the playoffs last season with series wins against Winnipeg, Edmonton and Dallas before vanquishing the Florida Panthers in five games to win the National Hockey League title.
There was a certain symmetry in the VGK winning in five games in the Cup Final after the Knights lost in five games in the Final five years earlier.
Those same Capitals skated into T-Mobile Arena Saturday night with some familiar names — all-timer Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson.
A Knights player who was on that 2017-18 VGK team that played Washington in the Final was Jonathan Marchessault, who fired in a power play goal with a wrist shot off a nice pass from Jack Eichel. Oh, there was a second assist on the Marchy goal by VGK goalie Logan Thompson.
The Knights led, 1-0, after one period.
The Knights played superb defense in the middle stanza and relied on an Eichel goal in the second period to assume a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes of play.
VGK added a third goal in the third period thanks to Mark Stone and smothered the Capitals with solid puck management. With six minutes left in the final frame, the Knights were outshooting Washington by a more than two-to-one edge, 34-16.
Wilson scored for the Caps to foil Thompson’s shutout bid.
Marchessault then slid the puck into an empty net with about two minutes to go.
The Knights polished off Washington, 4-1, and is scheduled to play the St. Louis Blues Monday. Thompson is now 6-3-2 on the season.
Vegas is 16-5-4 — good for 36 points, tops in the NHL.
“It’s always fun getting back here,” Stone said after the game. “We like how we’re playing now.”
Vegas has won back-to-back games against Vancouver and the Caps. The Knights announced attendance at 18,140. Viva Las Vegas played in the Big Ice House by the Strip following the win as the fans filed out of the venue.
