Tomas Nosek scored a key second-period goal, and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 on Monday night.
Alec Martinez, Reilly Smith, and Nicolas Hague also found the net for Vegas, now winning 14 of its last 18 games, improving to 14-2-1 at home. Jonathan Marchessault contributed two assists, and Robin Lehner made 24 saves to help the Golden Knights secure their sixth consecutive home victory.
“Could you imagine our record with a full house?” Vegas coach Peter DeBoer mused after the game as the Knights played in front of an expanded crowd of 3,950 fans due to increased local capacity limits.
“We take great pride in playing well at home,” Marchessault said. “We feed off the energy and hope to keep it going.”
Matt Roy scored the lone goal for the Kings, while Jonathan Quick stopped 20 shots. Quick entered the game with a 6.05 goals-against average and a .814 save percentage in two appearances against Vegas this season. The Kings, the ninth-best power play in the league, were held scoreless on all three power-play opportunities.
“I didn’t think we played a poor game, but they were more opportunistic than we were,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said. “When we had chances, we just didn’t capitalize.”
With the game tied 1-1, Nosek gave Vegas the lead after William Carrier initiated the play by poking the puck loose in the neutral zone. Carrier chased it down and sent it to Zach Whitecloud, whose shot ricocheted off the end boards for Nosek to one-time past Quick, putting the Golden Knights ahead 2-1.
Nosek tested positive for COVID-19 in February, shortly before the birth of his second son, but he has been in good form recently, tallying seven points (two goals, five assists) in his last seven games.
“Our line is clicking right now, and hopefully, we can keep it going,” Nosek said. “It’s good when all four lines are rolling, and the coach can trust us.”
Los Angeles, playing its first game since Wednesday, came out strong and dominated the first half of the opening period, outshooting Vegas 10-3. Roy scored with a powerful shot from the high slot to beat Lehner.
“We knew they would start fast, and we were kind of standing around watching,” DeBoer said. “But the second half of the first period, we started to get our legs under us.”
Smith tied the game in the second period after Quick made a series of saves but couldn’t stop Smith from converting during a power play scramble.
Less than two minutes after Nosek’s goal, Marchessault set up Hague for a perfectly placed shot that rang off the post and into the net, giving Vegas a 3-1 lead.
Martinez sealed the win in the third period by scoring off a rebound, notching a goal against his former team, where he spent the first 10 seasons of his career.
“It was nice to score, but I was more focused on closing it out in the third,” Martinez said. “It’s cool, personally, but it’s more about helping the team.”
GAME NOTES:
- Strong Starts: Vegas has allowed only 10 first-period goals in its last 24 games after giving up nine in its first nine.
- Second-Period Surge: The Golden Knights, who had been outscored 31-25 in the second period this season, turned the tables with three straight goals in the middle frame.
- Perfect Record: Vegas improved to 15-0-0 when leading after two periods.
UP NEXT:
- The teams will meet again Wednesday in Las Vegas to conclude their two-game series.
