Golden Knights choose violence in beatdown of Kraken
Derek Hegna
Host · Writer
SEATTLE—Once the Vegas Golden Knights got rolling, it was just too difficult to stop.
Even when the opponent decided to ramp up the brutality, the Golden Knights showed they would not be deterred.
On Tuesday, Vegas resumed its rampage through the Pacific Northwest, defeating the Seattle Kraken 6-2 at Climate Pledge Arena.
Despite a slow start for both teams, it would not take long for the Golden Knights to find their footing. After a struggle to get set up in the offensive zone, Rasmus Andersson would fire a shot that made its way through traffic and deflect off of Victor Olofsson past Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord for a first-period lead.
Kraken head coach Lane Lambert would challenge the goal for goaltender interference, but the call on the ice stood.
While the ensuing power play was unsuccessful, the Golden Knights would end up getting another chance on a Brandon Montour interference call. This time, Vegas would only require nine seconds, relying on a passing play from Jack Eichel to Mark Stone behind by the net, then directly to Tomas Hertl to bury it from point-blank range.
Not to be outdone, the penalty kill would also get in on the action early in the second.
After another penalty taken within the first twenty seconds of a period, the Golden Knights saw their fortunes quickly turn around. After Montour’s stick exploded on a slapshot, Eichel and Stone got an opportunity on an odd-man rush. Montour would slide and flail in the hopes of breaking up the play, but it would be all for naught as Stone finished the play to put Vegas up by three.
The early goal opened up the floodgates for the Golden Knights in the second period. Hertl would continue his excellent personal game by winning a puck battle behind the net and firing it to Olofsson, who would record his second goal of the game. Eichel would keep pace with his teammate with his third point of the game in the final minute, stripping Kraken forward Bobby McMann of the puck and finishing the breakaway to put the Golden Knights up five after 40 minutes.
With defeat all but assured and Daccord’s night brought to an early end, the Kraken would decide to turn up the heat in the rivalry between the NHL’s two youngest teams.
While Shane Wright would end Carter Hart’s shutout bid just under five minutes into the third period, the mood shifted when Olofsson was boarded by Kraken forward Ben Meyers. Meyers was handed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for his actions, while Olofsson did not return to the game.
“(Olofsson’s) getting evaluated now. We hope he’s going to be okay,” Golden Knights head coach Ryan Craig updated.
The ensuing power play did have some significance for the Golden Knights. Hertl would collect his fourth point of the night on his second goal of the game, while Eichel would do the same on the secondary assist.
The four-point outing from Eichel would put him in elite company, becoming only the fourth player in NHL history to become the first player to hit the 10-point mark in consecutive seasons (Connor McDavid, Tyler Seguin, Wayne Gretzky).
“Just one of those nights, I guess,” Eichel said about his performance. “Some things went our way and you get a couple touches on things. Sometimes, the puck finds you and finds the back of the net.”
It was a good thing Eichel was able to accomplish the feat, as chaos broke loose shortly after.
Stone would cap off an eventful night for himself by fighting Montour, completing a Gordie Howe hat trick for the Golden Knights captain. Marc Gatcomb would also get himself involved as a physical presence, fighting Ryan Winterton after the Kraken forward laid out Trevor Connelly with a hit.
“He was saying some things about our team I didn't like,” Stone said about what triggered his fight. “I'm not gonna fight too many 5-on-3s, but I just didn't like some of the things he was saying about the team."
An empty calories goal from Jared McCann later, and the Golden Knights brought the contest to a merciful end.
While the health of Olofsson is a red flag, the Golden Knights head back to T-Mobile Arena for their next contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.
