Ivan Barbashev, Mark Stone, and Victor Olofsson scored twice, leading the Vegas Golden Knights to an 8-4 victory over the Colorado Avalanche in their season opener on Wednesday night.
Barbashev also tallied two assists, while his linemate Jack Eichel contributed four. Defenseman Shea Theodore added three assists to the Golden Knights’ offensive surge. In goal, Adin Hill made 28 saves to secure the win.
Mikko Rantanen recorded a hat trick for the Avalanche, and Casey Mittelstadt added a goal. Colorado’s starting goaltender, Alexandar Georgiev, made 11 saves before being replaced by Justus Annunen, who stopped two of four shots.
Takeaways
- Avalanche: Starting goalie Alexandar Georgiev had a rough night, allowing five or more goals in a regular-season game for the 34th time in his career. Georgiev entered the game with a record of 4-4-2 against Vegas, along with a 2.59 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.
- Golden Knights: Coach Bruce Cassidy emphasized the importance of building chemistry among forwards during training camp, from pairing a center and a wing before adding a third player once confident in the duo. Cassidy seems to have found the right combination with the top line of Stone, Barbashev, and Eichel, who combined for 10 points.
Key Moment
After falling behind 1-0 midway through the first period, the Golden Knights quickly responded as Victor Olofsson sniped a shot past Georgiev from near the bottom of the right circle, firing it short-side over the goalie’s shoulder to tie the game.
Key Stat
Mikko Rantanen’s hat trick was the eighth of his career and his second of 2024. His previous hat trick came on March 19 last season in St. Louis. Five of Rantanen’s eight career hat tricks have been on the road.
Up Next
The Avalanche will host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, while the Golden Knights continue their three-game homestand by hosting the St. Louis Blues on Friday.