VGK Overcome Early 1-0 Deficit, Slow Start (Again) To Dominate Seattle, 6-2, Before 17,862 Saturday; Vegas vs Ducks Monday
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Story by Alan Snel Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Keegan Kolesar sure looks like a goal scorer.
It was Brayden McNabb to Victor Olofsson to Kolesar, who swooped in alone on the right side on Seattle netminder Philipp Grubauer and fired a nifty wrister past Grubauer’s glove and just like that the VGK erased an early deficit to lock the score at one goal apiece.
Then the Knights’ assist king, Jack Eichel, lifted the stick of Seattle defenseman Vince Dunn and fed winger Brett Howden who scored his 13th of the season and the Knights led, 2-1, in the first.
The quick two-goal strike by pals Kolesar and Howden triggered a nice counter to Seattle’s 1-0 lead and led to the Knights taking care of business at another packed T-Mobile Arena of 17,862 for a 6-2 win Saturday.
The scoring binge was on.
Nic Hague picked up a puck and fired in the VGK’s third score of the opening 20 minutes. It was Hague’s second goal of the year with that assist man, Eichel, picking up another helper.
After one: VGK 3 Seattle 1.
After the game, coach Bruce Cassidy discussed the team’s slow starts but improved middles and ends to games.
“We don’t want it to become a thing,” Cassidy told media in the arena presser room.
“We were not where we wanted to be . . . They’re not at the level they to be,” the head coach said of the VGK sluggish starts.
Cassidy noted Kolesar’s goal was a pivot point.
And the Knights were about to turn things around to eventually get the win.
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The Knights’ defense has been stellar tonight.
Do they have the best six-man defensive unit in the NHL?
They just might. They limited Seattle to only 14 shots on goal in front of Vegas goalie Ilya Samsonov during the first two periods.
LVSportsBiz.com asked Cassidy if the six-man defensive group is the best D-corp in the 32-team NHL.
Cassidy said yes, though he noted he has not seen every team in the league so far. He also referred to goals by Hague and Noah Hanifin tonight.
The Shea Theodore-McNabb, Hanifin-Alex Pietrangelo and Zach Whitecloud-Hague unit played airtight defense through the first two periods.
It was scoreless in the second period as the Knights took a 3-1 lead into the locker room after 40 minutes.
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Midway through the third period, William Karlsson, now one of three original Misfits with McNabb and Theodore in VGK Year 8, redirected the puck past Grubauer for a Vegas 4-1 lead. It was Karlsson’s seventh.
Mark Stone, the captain, set up Hanifin for a nice goal to give the VGK a 5-1 lead that salted away the two points in the standings. It was Hanifin’s fourth of the season.
Jaden Schwartz scored an easy goal, tucking in a rebound for a power play goal.
The Knights had a 5-2 lead with about five minutes left.
Stone added an empty-netter and that was your game: Vegas 6 Seattle 2.
VGK improved to 22-8-3 for 47 points and sit atop the Pacific Division.
The Golden Knights play in two days on Monday against the Anaheim Ducks.
