Golden Knights close in on West with 5-2 win over Kings
The Vegas Golden Knights scored four goals on their first six shots and took a major step toward clinching the Pacific Division and the top seed in the Western Conference with a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night.
The third line shined for the Knights with Phil Kessel, Ivan Barbashev and Chandler Stephenson each finishing with a goal and an assist. Vegas' other two goals came from Nicolas Roy and Jonathan Marchessault.
Laurent Brossoit, competing to be the Knights' starting goalie in the playoffs, made 30 saves and remained unbeaten in regulation this season at 5-0-3.
Anze Kopitar and Vladislav Gavrikov scored for the Kings.
The Knights, 11-2-2 in their past 15 games, have 106 points to lead Edmonton by three and the Kings by six in the Pacific with three games to go. Vegas also is six points clear of Dallas out of the Central Division.
Los Angeles appeared to strike first, but Quinton Byfield's goal at 2:33 was challenged by Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy. Officials reviewed the play and ruled the Kings were offside.
The Knights scored just 21 seconds later Kessel's wraparound. Ivan Barbashev soon after scored off a sensational pass from Stephenson, who about two minutes later scored himself to make it 3-0. The mooring came off the net on Stephenson's goal, but officials ruled after video review the Kings were responsible for it coming off.
Roy's power-play goal with 8:37 left in the first gave the Knights a 4-0 lead within the first 11:23.
Marchessault's goal 1:02 into the second period chased Kings goalie Joonas Korpisalo, who was replaced by Pheonix Copley. Kopitar and Gavrikov answered to bring Los Angeles to within 5-2 entering the final period.
Copley saved all 22 shots he faced,
GETTING PHYSICAL
Kings center Zack MacEwen was called for boarding Ben Hutton about midway through the second period. Vegas' Nic Hague responded by going after MacEwen.
MacEwen was handed five-minute majors for boarding and fighting, and Hague was given a 10-minute misconduct penalty, a five-minute major for fighting and a two-minute minor for instigating.
Both teams played at 4-on-4 for two minutes before the Knights had a man advantage for three minutes. The Knights made the Kings pay on Roy's goal, a rare successful power play. Vegas was 2 for 21 on the power play in the previous eight games. The Knights nearly added a second one late in the third, but the play was ruled offsides after a video review.
CENTURY MARK
Eichel played in his 100th game for the Knights, and he leads the team with 90 points during that stretch. That includes an assist against the Kings that stretched his point streak to eight games (one goal, 10 assists).
UP NEXT
Kings: Host Colorado on Saturday.
Golden Knights: At Dallas on Saturday.
