Defenseman Alec Martinez scored twice as the Vegas Golden Knights dominated possession and defeated the San Jose Sharks 5-0 on Friday night.
Martinez, typically known for his defensive prowess and leading the NHL in blocked shots last season with 244, had only one goal this season before this game.
“You come to practice, you know he has a good shot,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He’s got a lot of heat behind it. He’s not a guy who’s up the ice a lot. He tries to take care of his own end first.”
In addition to Martinez’s two goals, Alex Pietrangelo contributed a goal and two assists, William Karlsson had a goal and an assist, and Brett Howden scored. Michael Amadio provided two assists, and Adin Hill made 20 saves to record his second shutout of the season and the seventh of his career.
“Any game you win 5-0 and give up 20 shots is a good game by your team,” Hill said. “They had a couple of good scoring chances and had some looks here and there, but I thought our guys did a great job tonight.”
Vegas, which had 39 shots on goal, snapped a two-game losing streak, their only regulation loss this season. The Sharks came into the game having won their only two-season victories.
“We realized there were things we weren’t doing up to our ability,” Martinez said of the Golden Knights’ recent play. “During the course of the year, you want to continue to improve. It’s not going to be a linear thing. There are going to be ups and downs. Good teams recognize they’re not doing things as they should be.”
The Knights continued their dominance over their Pacific Division rivals, improving to 22-2-5 all-time against the Sharks.
Vegas wasted no time, scoring just one minute into the game with Pietrangelo’s wraparound goal after he charged in from the right point. Martinez’s blast from near the blue line made it 2-0 with 8:41 left in the first period.
Vegas took the first seven shots on goal in the opening period and, at one point, outshot the Sharks 15-3.
“Right from the get-go, we looked flat for sure,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “Getting down again 2-0 certainly didn’t help our cause. We were just half a step behind all night long. We defended way too much and weren’t able to end plays. We’re chasing the game really from the drop of the puck.”
Neither team scored in the second period, but the Knights continued to dominate possession, ending the period with a 29-12 shots-on-goal advantage.
The Knights took control in the third period, scoring three goals to turn the game into a runaway. Jack Eichel set up Karlsson for a shorthanded goal, Martinez added his second from the left circle, and Howden scored from in front of the net.
Knights fans, eager for more against their intense rivals, chanted, “We want six!”
UP NEXT
- Sharks: At Anaheim on Sunday.
- Golden Knights: At Washington on Tuesday, including a visit to the White House to celebrate their Stanley Cup championship. Vegas will play eight of their next nine games on the road.
