Ducks Lose 5-2 To The Golden Nights, With One Game Left In The Series
ANAHEIM (AP) — Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Anaheim Ducks 5-2 to move into a tie for first place in the West Division with the Colorado Avalanche.
Max Comtois and Danton Heinen scored goals for Anaheim, while Adam Henrique reached 200 assists in his career. John Gibson made 24 saves for the Ducks.
Max Pacioretty gave the Golden Knights a quick 1-0 lead at 3:25 of the first period when he redirected Alec Martinez's shot from near the blue line past John Gibson. It was Pacioretty's team-leading 22nd goal, while Mark Stone had a secondary assist, his team-leading 35th.
After they were held without a goal in a 4-0 loss to the Golden Knights on Friday, the Ducks finally got on the scoreboard when Comtois scored at 6:23 of the opening period, his team-leading 13th and his third in his past seven games.
Vegas went on top for good when Pietrangelo scored at 14:46 of the first period when he brought the puck in across the blue line and took advantage of a sagging defense when he blasted a shot just inside the left post. It was his fourth of the season.
The Golden Knights made it 3-1 when Roy scored at 2:43 of the second period, his fifth of the season.
After Heinen ripped a shot past Fleury from near the right boards to pull Anaheim within a goal, Stone made it a two-score advantage when he delivered his 15th of the season with 1:47 remaining in the second period.
"We came here (Friday) and obviously the first game was, start to finish, pretty dominant," Stone said. "This one was a tougher game to play. We thought they would come out with more urgency and they did. (Fleury) kept us in there over the first five minutes. ... That has been the key these last games, we're getting leads and sticking to them."
Henrique's 200th assist came on Heinen's goal, with 65 of those assists coming in his four seasons with the Ducks.
"I've got a great amount of respect for that hockey club over there, how they're built, how they play, their experience, their skill level and their work ethic," Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said of the Golden Knights. "They are a well-oiled machine and that is a pretty good blueprint of where we need to go."
One more game remains in the season series, back at Anaheim on Saturday.