Nicolas Roy, who was just six years old when Marc-Andre Fleury made his NHL debut, scored his first NHL goal Sunday night, helping the Vegas Golden Knights to a 5-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Fleury added 13 saves to secure the win.
Making his debut with the Golden Knights, Roy showed off his speed by splitting two Anaheim defenders and slipping a shot past Ducks goaltender John Gibson, netting what would be the game-winning goal.
“Usually, I don’t even celebrate after a goal, but this one was special,” said Roy, who jumped into the glass in front of cheering Vegas fans. “It was such a great feeling, a really great night.”
Roy, drafted 96th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2015, replaced Brandon Pirri in the lineup and centered the fourth line alongside Ryan Reaves and William Carrier, known more for their physical play. The trio combined for three points, with Carrier assisting on Reaves’ second goal of the season and seventh career goal against Anaheim.
“I don’t know what it is,” Reaves joked about his success against the Ducks. “Maybe it’s all the Duck Hunter I played growing up.”
Reaves praised Roy’s immediate impact on their line, which dominated in just 7:18 of ice time with an impressive 11-2 Corsi edge.
“He was solid all over the ice, and that speed on his goal was insane,” Reaves said. “He was really strong defensively, too.”
Mark Stone, William Karlsson, and Paul Stastny also scored for Vegas, which moved into second place in the Pacific Division with 16 points, one behind first-place Edmonton. Anaheim dropped to third with 14 points.
After being outshot 40-26 in a 6-1 loss to Colorado on Friday, Vegas bounced back, outshooting the Ducks 49-15. The 15 shots allowed were the fewest the Golden Knights have given up all season.
“They were fantastic from start to finish,” Fleury said, improving his all-time record against Anaheim to 14-4. “After that tough loss to Colorado, we wanted to play the kind of game we know we’re capable of, and tonight we did.”
Ryan Getzlaf and Adam Henrique scored for Anaheim, while Gibson, who made 44 saves, fell to 1-7-1 all-time against Vegas after allowing five goals.
The Ducks started strong, with Getzlaf scoring just 4:12 into the game off a pass from Max Comtois. But Vegas quickly responded, tying the game just 34 seconds later when Mark Stone’s wrist shot deflected off the post and was accidentally knocked into the Ducks’ net by defenseman Cam Fowler.
Vegas continued their offensive pressure in the second period, with Karlsson making it 4-1 with a power-play goal. Stastny put the game out of reach early in the third with another power-play goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Max Pacioretty.
“They have three lines with high skill and speed, and their fourth line is one of the heaviest in the league,” said Ducks coach Dallas Eakins. “That’s why they’re one of the top teams.”
Game Notes:
- Mark Stone, three games away from his 400th career game, has recorded a point in 11 of Vegas’ 13 games this season.
- The Ducks are approaching their 2,000th game in franchise history, scheduled for Nov. 3 against Chicago.
- Anaheim’s power-play struggles continued, as it went 0-for-1 and dropped to 3-for-31 on the season, the fifth-worst in the NHL.
Up Next:
- Ducks: Host the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
- Golden Knights: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.