Shea Theodore scored two goals against his former team to help the visiting Vegas Golden Knights beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 on Wednesday.
William Karlsson, who also began his NHL career with the Ducks, and Alexander Holtz also scored for Vegas. Victor Olofsson, Jack Eichel, and Tomas Hertl each had two assists. The Golden Knights, who lead the Pacific Division, have now won 6 of their last 8 games and all three games against Anaheim this season.
Ilya Samsonov, the Golden Knights’ goaltender, made 19 saves. Anaheim’s goalie, John Gibson, stopped 30 shots.
Jackson LaCombe scored the Ducks’ only goal, but Anaheim has struggled recently, losing two of their last three games and only winning twice in their last six.
Karlsson, who was named to Sweden’s Four Nations team earlier that day, scored his first goal in nine games at 16:26 of the first period. He took advantage of a loose puck during a scramble and scored his fifth goal of the season.
Theodore, who was also named to Canada’s squad along with injured forward Mark Stone, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, and goalie Adin Hill, made it 2-0 for Vegas at 6:38 of the second period. Theodore scored after following an odd-man rush and tapping in a rebound following a sprawling save by Gibson.
LaCombe scored late in the second period to put Anaheim on the board with a long shot that beat a screened Samsonov.
Holtz made it 3-1 for Vegas in the third period with a goal at 3:05. He finished off a well-executed give-and-go with Tanner Pearson during a two-on-one break.
Theodore sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 19:16 of the third period, his third of the season.
The loss was even more frustrating for the Ducks as forward Trevor Zegras had to leave the game early in the second period after an accidental collision with Karlsson. Zegras appeared to injure his right leg when their skates locked.
