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Thompson Makes 37 Saves, Golden Knights Defeat Kings 5-1

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2 years ago

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Mattias Janmark and Nicolas Roy Vegas Golden Knights (Photo- Vegas Golden Knights via Twitter)

The Vegas Golden Knights (34-26-4, 72 points) were victorious Saturday afternoon at The Fortress and picked up a much-needed two points against the Los Angeles Kings (34-21-8, 76 points). Depth scoring once again made the difference for the Golden Knights as they won 5-1. Logan Thompson was excellent in his second-straight start for the VGK and made 37 saves for his third career win.

It was a pleasant surprise to many when Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel took warmups and ended up playing against the Kings. Eichel left Thursday night’s game against the Florida Panthers with a hand injury. He blocked a shot from Panthers defenseman Mackenzie Weegar.

Ben Hutton also returned for the Golden Knights after missing the past three games due to COVID-19. Logan Thompson got the start in net, making his second consecutive start after a stellar performance against the Panthers.

The Golden Knights came out of the gate with some solid play and a myriad of grade-A chances. Mattias Janmark was stopped on a breakaway and Michael Amadio just barely missed a wide-open cage.

Momentum took a halt midway through the period as the Golden Knights took two straight penalties with Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault both heading to the box. But the Golden Knights got back to work and scored the first goal of the game late into the period.

Evgenii Dadonov scored his fifth goal in the last six games. His initial shot was stopped by Cal Petersen but he followed it up with a wrap-around play on the backhand to score. Dadonov has arguably been the Golden Knight’s most impactful offensive player these past few games.

The Kings ended the period taking a hooking penalty as Sean Durzi got caught and the Golden Knights started the second period with some powerplay time. Eichel, Marchessault, and Chandler Stephenson then combined for a nifty passing play to gain the zone and Stephenson ended things scoring 39 seconds into the period.

This goal marked Stephenson’s 15th of the season, a new career-high, and was his first goal in 11 games. The Golden Knights have now scored a powerplay goal in their last four games.

 

The Kings made a push in the second period and had the Golden Knights on their heels, preventing them from registering a shot in over nine minutes. They were able to cut into the Golden Knights lead with Trevor Moore feeding Philip Danault who scored in close on Thompson.

A powerplay chance presented itself for the Kings with Derrick Pouliot going to the box for a hold. But the Golden Knights would get the most out of it, scoring their league-leading ninth shorthanded goal of the season. Alex Pietrangelo sprung Janmark for his second breakaway of the game and this time he scored. This goal is also the league-leading ninth shorthanded goal the Kings have given up this season.

For Janmark, it was his first goal in 17 games and first since returning from injury.

The Golden Knight’s third period was a bit sloppy, they bent but didn’t break as the Kings outshot them 13-1 halfway through the frame. Thompson was remarkable and made several quick saves to keep his team in the game. Dylan Coghlan also left the game after blocking a shot from Arthur Kaliyev.

The Kings pulled Petersen with over three minutes left in the game and the Golden Knights took advantage. Pietrangelo scored from the neutral zone to seal the two points for the VGK. But the Golden Knights were still hungry for more and Michael Amadio added salt to the wound for the Kings with a goal set up by Keegan Kolesar.

The Golden Knights are now just four points behind the Kings in the standings. They will play the Minnesota Wild on Trade Deadline day at Excel Energy Center in Minnesota. It will be a 5:00 pm puck drop on Monday evening.

VHN’s Player of the Game: Logan Thompson.

Thompson marched to his second-straight victory with another remarkable performance Saturday. He was quick in the net and made timely saves, especially in the third period when the VGK fell asleep.

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