Most of the time, hockey is a game of momentum– both teams control play in stretches and chase the game in others, and whoever handles those swings best goes on to win the game. But sometimes, a team grabs the bull by the horns and doesn’t let go until the game is completely out of reach.
That’s exactly what the Vegas Golden Knights did on Friday night. They rolled into Honda Center, scored 66 seconds in, and made the Anaheim Ducks look like a beer league club for two periods of hockey. The Ducks broke Hart’s shutout bid, but it was too little too late, and the Golden Knights won Game 3 6-2.
The Golden Knights broke the ice just 66 seconds into the first period. Mark Stone entered the zone, rolled away from John Carlson’s check, and worked the puck deeper for Jack Eichel. Eichel found Shea Theodore in the slot, and the defenseman snuck a wrister past Lukáš Dostál for his third goal of the postseason.
The Golden Knights doubled their lead at 12:13 in the first while shorthanded. Mikael Granlund turned the puck over, and Mitch Marner took it back the other way. Marner entered the zone, pulled up, and left the puck for Brayden McNabb, who rolled around John Carlson and beat Lukáš Dostál far-side.
Hertl drew a penalty late in the first period, and the Golden Knights extended their lead on the ensuing power play. Jacob Trouba blocked Mitch Marner’s shot point-blank; Lukáš Dostál denied Pavel Dorofeyev on the rebound, and Marner finally got it to go on the third attempt.
Joel Quenneville made a goaltending change to start the second period, swapping Lukáš Dostál for Ville Husso. Unfortunately for the Ducks, the Golden Knights were even better in the second, and this change did little to spark a comeback. They generated nine high-danger scoring chances while holding Anaheim to two.
The Golden Knights added to their lead at 9:19 in the second. Jack Eichel led an odd-man rush up ice, entered the zone, and found Brett Howden at the point. Howden one-touched a pass to Shea Theodore in the middle of the ice, and the defenseman rolled into the slot. Theodore avoided the stick of Alex Killorn and threaded a pass to Mitch Marner, who crashed the net and tucked the puck in.
The Golden Knights made it a five-spot at 17:56 in the second. Ivan Barbashev won a board battle, and William Karlsson got to the loose puck. Karlsson protected the puck, circled behind the net, and dropped a pass back for Mitch Marner. Marner slammed on the brakes, rolled out towards the left circle, and snuck a shot past Ville Husso short-side.
In the third period, the Golden Knights appeared to take their foot off the gas. The Ducks are a young, dangerous team, and they used their speed to take advantage of a team trying to coast to the finish line.
The Ducks got on the board at 6:30 in the third. Beckett Sennecke prevented Noc Dowd from flying the zone, held the puck in, and zipped a cross-ice pass to Alex Killorn. Killorn snapped it to Granlund at the point, who rolled deeper into the zone. Granlund passed it back to Killorn, who fired a one-timer that squeaked through Carter Hart. Rasmus Andersson and Colton Sissons tried to clear, but Sennecke dove for the loose puck and chipped it home.
The Ducks added another at 15:09 in the third. Leo Carlsson raced up ice with the puck, entered the zone, and flew around Pavel Dorofeyev and avoided Jack Eichel’s poke check. Carlsson worked it deeper for Troy Terry; Terry drifted behind the net and found Chris Kreider all alone in the slot.
Down by three, the Ducks pulled Ville Husso for the extra attacker with just over four minutes remaining in regulation. They generated a few good looks and managed four shots on goal, but the mountain proved to be too steep to climb. Brett Howden hit the empty net at 18:04 in the third, and the Golden Knights rolled to a 6-2 win.
Three Takeaways of the Knight
1. Don’t look now– Mitch Marner is the postseason leader in points and tied for the lead in goals. In his last four games, Marner has six goals and nine points.
“I try to always be an energizer guy, a guy that goes out there and brings a lot of passion and energy to games,” said Marner following the win. “It’s always nice to contribute, but at the end of the day, you just want to win games.”
Marner, of course, remained humble after his four-point performance. Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella, however, had no issue singing his praises.
“I think he’s a hell of a hockey player,” said Tortorella postgame. “I think he’s very cerebral and very confident in what he brings. You know, people give him s— all the time about playoffs and this and that, and I don’t think it bothers him a lick. He just plays.”
2. Another day, another perfect penalty kill. The Golden Knights have killed off 26 of the last 27 penalties, and haven’t allowed a power play goal since Game 3 against the Utah Mammoth. Thanks to Brayden McNabb’s shorthanded tally, the Golden Knights’ penalty kill has outscored their opponents’ power plays 3-to-1 this postseason.
3. A concerning loss overshadows the dominant 6-2 win. Mark Stone was not on the bench to start the second period, and, despite returning for a brief time, didn’t play another shift. Before exiting the game, Stone recorded an assist and finished the night with 4:24 TOI.
As this is the postseason, John Tortorella was tight-lipped postgame and provided no update on the Golden Knights’ captain.
