.png)
After struggling to score in their last game, the Vegas Golden Knights’ offense got their rhythm back to help snap their two-game losing streak.
The Golden Knights defeated the Anaheim Ducks, 3-2, on Wednesday, Nov. 13, from the Honda Center.
“Good resiliency,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We had pockets of the game where I thought we played very well.”
With the win, Vegas improved their record to 10-4-2 and got their second road victory of the season. They also jumped back to first place in the Pacific Division and are now one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings.
Wednesday night’s game was the first of a two-game road trip as the team has six of its next seven games on the road. The Knights will now travel to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Hockey Club on Friday, Nov. 15. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. from the Delta Center.
“At the end of the day, we got the lead,” Cassidy said. “I liked our special teams, we outscored them 1-0, that was the difference in the game.”
Coming off its first home loss of the season in which they didn’t score until the third period, the VGK made sure to find the back of the net sooner on Wednesday.
Despite trailing early, the Golden Knights scored three unanswered goals to take a commanding lead on the way to victory.
With less than a minute left in the first period, center Nicolas Roy evened the score off assists from defenseman Shea Theodore and right-wing Cole Schwindt.
“Nic Roy and Cole have been very good and consistent guys for us,” Cassidy said. “The numbers prove that. It worked out tonight.”
Roy’s goal improved his season total to four with 10 total points. As for Schwindt, it was his third assist of the season.
“I’ve always liked Schwindt’s game defensively,” Cassidy said. “That’s one of the reasons he stays in the lineup. We can use him in that role and kind of from there, things fell into place.”
Theodore also played a role in the Golden Knights’ next goal when he and center Jack Eichel assisted fellow center Tomas Hertl’s goal off the power play. Eichel now has 19 assists and 24 total points on the season.
“I thought I was moving my feet, trying to make plays, getting shots through,” Theodore said. “Good plays to take from tonight and hopefully they continue.”
Theodore’s busy night added to his season total of 10 assists.
“Once Tomas [Hertl] got on the forecheck, his pace was excellent,” Cassidy said.
Vegas finished the game 1-for-3 on power play opportunities and managed to kill all three of the Anaheim power plays. The Knights have now scored a power play goal in their last four consecutive games.
“I thought we played well,” goalie Adin Hill said. “Our power play obviously came through at a big time for us and we just continue to execute when we have to. We played a good defensive game. We were boxing people out trying to get sticks. All around it was a solid team performance.”
Just five minutes into the third period, left-wing Pavel Dorofeyev scored off his own rebound to help VGK take a commanding 3-1 lead.
“He’s a shooter,” Hill said. “He has a good shot. He knows how to score. He’s off to a hot start and I think he’ll keep it going.”
It was Dorofeyev’s eighth goal and 11th point of the season.
“He’s [Dorofeyev] had it,” Cassidy said. “That’s why he’s in the lineup. He’s playing more than some other guys that’s been around the league longer, because he has it […] You can see he has some puck skills and could shoot it.”
After giving up four goals in 26 minutes in their last game, Hill had a bounceback game for the Golden Knights Wednesday night.
“I felt good tonight,” Hill said. “I felt sharp. They threw a lot of pucks at the net and some weird bounces, but it felt like a solid game.”
Hill gave up a goal in the first and third periods, but managed to hold his own between the pipes for the rest of the game. He finished with 22 saves for a .917 save percentage.
“He’s a successful goalie in this league,” Cassidy said. “He’s still building his resume, he’s not a guy that has been around forever. So it’s important for him to put stuff behind him and pick up the team the next time he’s in there.”
Wednesday night’s game also saw the return of the annual VGK Father’s Trip; which is when the fathers, uncles, and father-in-laws of the players travel together to watch their sons play and make memories.
“The dads to start, it always gets the juices flowing,” Theodore said. “We just didn’t like our effort at home in the last game. Sometimes getting on the road, getting a good mentality like that is good, getting the guys together. We have a lot of road games coming up this month, we wanted to start it off tonight getting on the right foot.”
Earlier in the day, the dads went whale watching along the Pacific Ocean before heading over to the game.
With the win, Vegas is now 10-0-1 with a +28 goal differential all-time when the fathers make their annual trip.
“Our record speaks for itself during Father’s Trips,” Hill said. “It’s always nice when we can find a way to get two points.”
Comentários