Brett Leason recorded his first two-goal game in the NHL, Jamie Drysdale scored his first goal in nearly 21 months, and the Anaheim Ducks used a four-goal first period to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights 5-2 on Wednesday night.
“I thought we started strong. As a line and individual, we were playing fast, shooting pucks, and getting lots of chances,” said Leason, who now has six goals and 11 points this season.
Frank Vatrano and Troy Terry also found the net for Anaheim, with the Ducks scoring four times within the first 12 minutes. It was the 16th time in franchise history they have scored at least four goals in the first period and the first since March 16, 2021, against Colorado.
Mason McTavish contributed three assists, Cam Fowler added two, and John Gibson made 30 saves.
Alec Martinez and Mark Stone scored for the Golden Knights, but they are now losing four straight. Logan Thompson made 21 saves.
“I just don’t think we were ready to play, myself included. Too many breakdowns, not good enough gaps,” Martinez said. “They’re a real offensive team, good on the rush; we gave them too many opportunities, but also credit to them, they buried on it.”
Leason opened the scoring at 3:23 of the first period with a redirect of Cam Fowler’s shot from the blue line. He then added a second goal by putting in a rebound at 17:45 of the second period, extending the Ducks’ lead to three goals.
Drysdale, the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft, scored 8:23 into the first period, ripping a snap shot past Thompson to give the Ducks a 2-0 lead. The 21-year-old defenseman missed most of last season due to a torn labrum in his left shoulder and was out for the first 29 games this season with an upper-body injury.
“It’s obviously nice to get on the board, but it’s also nice to get a win here against a team like that, especially at home, where we’ve been struggling a little bit,” Drysdale said.
The Ducks had 11 players with a point in the opening 20 minutes. The four-goal onslaught included a pair within 40 seconds. Vatrano scored a one-timer at 11:38 for his team-leading 16th goal of the season, followed by Terry’s wrist shot at 12:18 for his ninth goal.
“It’s tough for them. They fly in this morning and have to play a game, and the guys were probably spread all over the place for the holiday. I’ve always said the home team has an advantage on these games after a break. We had energy and were buzzing,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said.
Martinez’s fourth goal of the season at 7:23 of the second period and Stone’s power-play goal at 12:34 extended his point streak to five games with two and seven points during that span.
“We didn’t start on time today as well as we could have, yet we generated five or six chances as well. It wasn’t a one-sided first period by any means; theirs went in, and ours didn’t,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said.
UP NEXT
- Golden Knights: Host the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.
- Ducks: Host the Arizona Coyotes on Friday.