The Vegas Golden Knights have one game left to clinch the Pacific Division, and Michael Amadio is a significant reason they’re on the brink of success.
On Tuesday night, Amadio netted two goals and an assist in a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken.
Despite Edmonton’s 2-1 overtime win over Colorado, preventing the Knights from securing the Pacific Division, Vegas remains in a strong position.
Reilly Smith had a three-point night, scoring on a rebound off a shot by Amadio and assisting on both of Amadio’s goals. Jonathan Marchessault scored on a 5-on-3 power play, and William Karlsson contributed two assists. Laurent Brossoit made 20 saves, improving his season record to 6-0-3, thanks to a strong defensive effort that allowed only four shots on goal in the third period.
“If you can really put your thumb down on teams in the third period, it bodes really well for the playoffs because there’s no quit in the playoffs,” Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “You have to get into those habits of playing a full 60 (minutes).”
Yanni Gourde scored for the Kraken, who were playing the second back-to-back game.
“We had a good burst probably the last 15, 16 minutes of the first period, but just couldn’t find any energy in the second and third,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “They played well. They were on top of us.”
The Knights, now 4-0-3 in their last seven games, lead the Pacific and Western Conference with 109 points. They face the Kraken again Thursday night in Seattle in the regular-season finale for both teams. A win gives Vegas the division title, while a loss, combined with an Oilers victory over San Jose, would give Edmonton the top spot. Edmonton, with 107 points, holds the tiebreaker.
“We learned a lot about how (the Kraken) play, and we’re going to try to do the same thing when we go there,” Amadio said. “But it’s a tight race, so all the points matter.”
Seattle’s five-game winning streak ended. With 100 points and a secured postseason berth, the Kraken are two points behind Los Angeles in the race for the Pacific’s third playoff spot.
Amadio recorded his second career two-goal game, the first being on Feb. 17, 2018, against Buffalo while with the Kings. This was his second three-point game of the season.
“He’s been awesome all year,” Smith said. “I’m a big advocate of how well he plays and very fortunate to play with a guy like that. He’s got so much poise … and he makes a lot of smart plays. So I think he’s probably deserving of more ice time and more opportunity.”
Smith’s three points marked a personal best this season. He is one goal shy of 200 for his career. Seattle’s Jared McCann saw his three-game goal streak and five-game point streak end.
Double Whammy
The Kraken faced two minor penalties 3:05 into the third period, with Will Borgen called for interference and Jesper Froden for hooking.
Vegas capitalized when Marchessault scored 18 seconds later, extending the lead to 4-1.
“I didn’t like going down 5-on-3 in that situation,” Hakstol said. “They were probably marginal (calls). To go down 5-on-3, I thought that was a tough spot. That didn’t dictate the game’s outcome in any way, shape, or form.”
Up Next
- The teams meet again in Seattle on Thursday night in the regular-season finale for both.
