William Karlsson scored and assisted, Logan Thompson made 29 saves, and the Vegas Golden Knights shut out the Anaheim Ducks 4-0 on Friday afternoon to celebrate Nevada Day.
Thompson recorded his second shutout of the season and third of his career, helping the Western Conference-leading Golden Knights improve to 7-2-0. Karlsson’s performance marked his third multi-point game of the season.
Chandler Stephenson, Reilly Smith, and Nic Roy also scored for Vegas, which scored at least four goals in five games and allowed two or fewer goals six times.
“That’s a team win, right? They’re making my job really easy,” Thompson said. “I can’t credit the guys enough for blocking everything and making my life pretty easy out there. Since the start of the season, I think you’ve seen how good we’ve been defensively. I think it’s pretty evident.”
According to NaturalStatTrick.com, the Golden Knights dominated high-danger scoring chances, 12-7.
“I think that’s an identity we want; we want that to be our reputation around the league,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “When the puck’s on our stick with time and space, we can make some plays and finish.”
Anaheim goaltender John Gibson made 14 saves in two periods, and Anthony Stolarz stopped three shots in the third. Gibson has 15 losses to the Knights, six more than any other goaltender. Vegas is 21-4-0 against Anaheim.
Since their 5-4 overtime victory over Seattle in the opener, the Ducks have lost seven straight, dropping to 1-6-1.
“We talked about their starts,” Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins said. “I thought the start of the game was fine until we decided to turn a couple of pucks over. When you do that, heart rates are high, you’re into a long shift, and that’s when they get their action.”
With Anaheim’s Ryan Strome in the penalty box for a shot to Mark Stone, Stephenson skated across the crease and slipped the puck through Gibson’s pads to put Vegas in front 1-0 late in the first period.
Shortly after several heated exchanges midway through the second, and Vegas skating short-handed, Karlsson skated down the left side before sending a perfect pass to a trailing Smith, who beat Gibson with a one-timer to notch his 100th goal as a Golden Knight.
Later in the period, Karlsson redirected Jonathan Marchessault’s shot from the right circle, beating Gibson over his glove. Roy sealed the game with less than a minute left in the second period, racing in untouched.
Karlsson has had a stellar start to the season, with four goals and three assists in the first nine games—the fastest start of his career.
“Last year, I wasn’t happy with my performance, so I wanted to go out and prove to myself that I could be a good hockey player,” Karlsson said. “Two ingredients when you’re playing hockey: confidence and having fun. That’s when you play your best.”
Game Notes
Golden Knights forward Phil Kessel was honored before the opening puck drop with a video tribute for his record-breaking 990th consecutive game on Tuesday night in San Jose. Karlsson has the next longest active streak for the Golden Knights, with 68 games. Ducks defenseman Jamie Drysdale left the game in the second period after being checked into the boards by Vegas’ William Carrier and did not return. Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg surpassed Steve Rucchin for fifth on the club’s all-time games played list with 617.
Up Next
- Anaheim: Hosts Toronto on Sunday.
- Vegas: Hosts Winnipeg on Sunday.
