The Vegas Golden Knights kicked off the second half of their schedule with one of their most impressive performances of the season, beating the Arizona Coyotes 4-1 on Saturday night. With the victory, Vegas took sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division.
Mark Stone scored twice, Shea Theodore had three assists, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 27 saves in a dominant showing by the Golden Knights. After a lackluster 4-3 loss to Anaheim, Vegas bounced back strong in front of a raucous crowd of 18,461, their second-largest home attendance of the season.
The Golden Knights were dominant across the board, outshooting Arizona 36-28, outhitting them 36-17, and blocking more shots (20-12). They also generated more high-danger scoring chances (10-7) and made the most of their special teams, going 2-for-3 on the power play while killing off all five of Arizona’s power plays.
“The intensity was something special tonight,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. “It was two teams tied for first place, and I knew it would be a lot better than last night. The PK was great, and we had some key saves at the right moments.”
Stone opened the scoring midway through the first period with a power-play goal, overpowering Arizona defenseman Jason Demers to net a feed from Alex Tuch. After Arizona’s Michael Grabner tied the game late in the first, Stone responded just 95 seconds later, finishing a pass from Max Pacioretty to restore the Vegas lead.
It was Stone’s first two-goal game as a Golden Knight and put Vegas atop the Pacific Division for the first time since early October.
Fleury, who had struggled in his previous games, rebounded with a stellar performance. His 454th career win tied him with Curtis Joseph for sixth place on the NHL’s all-time wins list. Chandler Stephenson and Paul Stastny added second-period goals as Vegas took control of the game.
Arizona, which started Antti Raanta in goal, couldn’t keep up with Vegas’ speed and physicality. Raanta was pulled early in the second period after allowing four goals on 16 shots. Backup Adin Hill, recalled from the AHL on Dec. 20, made 20 saves in his season debut.
“They’re a heavy team,” Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said of Vegas. “You have to be quick against them, and your power play has to be sharp. We just couldn’t match their speed or physicality tonight.”
Stone’s offensive output continued his recent surge—he now has points in nine of the last 10 games, tallying eight goals and six assists in that span. “We had contributions from everyone tonight,” Stone said. “When all four lines are rolling, using our size, skill, and speed, we’re tough to play against.”
Game Notes:
- Vegas recalled Keegan Kolesar earlier in the day but reassigned him to the AHL after the game.
- Arizona forward Lawson Crouse played in his 200th NHL game.
- Shea Theodore matched his career-high with three assists, which he last achieved on Dec. 15 against Vancouver.
- The Coyotes remain one win shy of 1,300 franchise victories.
Up Next:
- Coyotes: Host Dallas on Sunday to begin a four-game homestand.
- Golden Knights: Continue their seven-game homestand by hosting Anaheim on Tuesday.
