VGK power play picks up as team ends three-game losing streak

Turning around their luck on the power play plus another strong start from goalie Ilya Samsonov helped the Vegas Golden Knights get off the schnide and back into the win column.

Vegas took down Los Angeles, 6-1, in its return home to the T-Mobile Arena Tuesday, Oct. 22. The win ends a three-game losing streak for the VGK while improving the team’s impressive home record to start the season.

“I thought we were attacking better tonight,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “On the road, it felt like we were defending way too much.”

These two top five teams in the Pacific Division will meet again in eight days from the Crypto.com Arena.

Vegas has a perfect 4-0-0 record at home this season. In addition, Cassidy picked up his 100th win as head coach of the VGK as a result of the team’s fourth win this season.

Overall, the Knights are 4-2-1 on the year with nine points.

Looking to build off this first win, Vegas will welcome in Ottawa Friday, Oct. 25 with puck drop scheduled for 3 p.m. That will be the second game of this four-game homestand.

“Great performance from everybody,” center Tomas Hertl said. “Four lines, big win, and it’s nice to start a homestand like that.”

Entering play, the Golden Knights had a power play percentage of just over 29%. Under Cassidy, the team has never produced a final power play percentage of better than 20.4%.

Hertl cashed in on the first power play chance of the night which took place in the first period. Both of his first two goals of the season have come on the power play.

“Power play gives [Hertl] a little life,” Cassidy said. “He’s in front of the net, we’ve been looking for Tomas there. He scored against Anaheim in that spot. Had a couple good looks in Florida that just missed his stick. So that’s his spot.”

Captain Mark Stone scored on the second power play opportunity about four minutes later off an assist from Hertl and teammate Noah Hanifin.

Hertl put the final touches on a three-point first period with an assist on left-wing Pavel Dorofeyev’s third goal of the season. It marked Hertl’s first three-point game as a Golden Knight.

By the final horn, Hertl racked up four points with five shots and three hits.

“We can't sit back, we have to keep pressing,” he said. “I always say the best defense is offense and I think we did a really good job tonight.”

Three home goals put the game on ice in the third period including Hertl’s second as well as lamp lighters from right-wing Alexander Holtz and center Ivan Barbashev. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo had three assists on the night, all of which came in the third period.

The Vegas offense averages more than five goals at home this season through the team’s first four games in front of The Fortress. In comparison to what the team does on the road, it averages just over two and a half goals a game.

“It was nice to get a team win here,” Holtz said. “Hopefully we can keep it going here at home.”

Samsonov started for a second straight game as Cassidy opted to go away from normal starter Adin Hill. Samsonov responded by giving up just one goal for the second time in his three starts.

“Samsonov was great,” Hertl said. “He was confident, he made it look easy tonight. I wish we could’ve gave him the shutout because he deserved it. He was one of the best players on our team tonight.”

He tallied 12 first period saves and only saw three shots on goal through more than half of the second. Then the Knights spent the better part of the final seven minutes on the penalty kill.

Pietrangelo was called for holding and before that power play was over, teammate Nicolas Hague would be whistled for high-sticking. Even with several penalties to kill, Vegas didn’t offer up a goal while Samsonov slammed a save just after the game returned to five-on-five action.

Coming into play, this year’s VGK group had a penalty kill percentage of just under 70. The Kings went 0-for-4 on the power play on Tuesday.

“Samsonov was unbelievable,” Hertl said. “He made a lot of saves, especially in the PK.”

Samsonov finished the night with 32 saves for a .970 save percentage. Through three starts this season, he is 2-0-1 with 2.41 goals given up per game to go along with a save percentage of .943.