Mark Stone recorded a goal and two assists to lead the Vegas Golden Knights to a commanding 6-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night, marking their third consecutive win.
Despite falling behind 1-0 just three minutes into the game, Vegas responded with three unanswered goals in the first period and maintained control for the rest of the night.
Keegan Kolesar tied the game before Brett Howden capitalized on a pass from Jack Eichel to score from close range, giving the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead. Nic Hague added another goal late in the period to extend the advantage to 3-1.
William Karlsson and Noah Hanifin found the net in the third period, while Ilya Samsonov made 21 saves to improve his record to 8-3-1. Eichel contributed two assists in the win.
Seattle’s Vince Dunn and Jaden Schwartz scored, but it wasn’t enough as Philipp Grubauer faced relentless pressure, making 29 saves and dropping to 3-10-0 on the season.
Takeaways
Kraken: Center Chandler Stephenson returned to Vegas for the first time since signing with Seattle during the offseason. Stephenson is the only NHL player to lift the Stanley Cup twice at T-Mobile Arena, first with Washington in 2018 and then with Vegas in 2023.
Golden Knights: Vegas was red-hot in December, winning seven of eight games. The victory strengthened their lead in the Pacific Division, with 47 points, and put them just two points behind Western Conference leaders Winnipeg (49).
Key Moment
After Seattle’s early goal, Kolesar responded with a breakaway goal off a perfect cross-ice pass from Victor Olofsson, tying the game 1-1. The goal marked a career-high eighth for Kolesar this season.
Key Stat
Vegas improved to 12-1-0 when leading after two periods, while Seattle dropped to 1-17-1 when trailing after 40 minutes.
Up Next
The Golden Knights host the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night, while the Kraken head to Colorado to face the Avalanche on Sunday.
