The Vegas Golden Knights bounced back well after their worst loss of the season.
Now, the Golden Knights will try to keep up their strong performance when they play the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night.
Vegas won 1-0 against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, with goaltender Adin Hill making 28 saves. This was a great defensive showing after the team had lost 6-0 to Utah in their previous game.
“It was a good defensive game by both sides, so I think we got a little lucky with our goal there, and a 1-0 game feels like a 2003 throwback,” Hill said. “It was a fun game. They got some shots and some chances, but … our guys did a great job kind of keeping them to the outside. I thought it was one of our best defensive efforts of the season.”
The Golden Knights are currently on a 5-1-1 run and are at the top of the Pacific Division.
However, the win against the Oilers had its challenges. Edmonton outshot Vegas 16-2 in the third period, and the Golden Knights didn’t get a shot off in the last 19:04 of the game. But coach Bruce Cassidy wasn’t complaining about the win.
“We did our jobs well. That’s what you have to do against Edmonton. It’s no easy task when (Connor) McDavid’s coming at you fast, and (Leon) Draisaitl is a strong guy through the neutral zone,” Cassidy said. “But we were able to check in layers against them, and I think that’s when we’re the most effective.”
The game was only the fifth in NHL history with no penalty minutes and one goal or fewer, and the first since a game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks on Feb. 20, 1944.
The Ducks have won two of their last three games and are 5-2-1 in their past eight, showing big improvement from recent seasons.
Anaheim most recently won 4-3 in a shootout against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday. In that game, the Ducks gave up the lead three times but still managed to win.
“We’re finally starting to get rewarded for some things we’re doing,” said forward Frank Vatrano, who scored two goals and had an assist.
“The biggest thing with us is, we know where each other’s going to be. We’re always playing in sync, and we know where our outs are, so it’s not like we’re trying to out-skill teams — we’re just trying to out-smart them and just play the right way. It’s good to see us getting on the scoresheet and we’re getting wins.”
Vatrano has been key to the team’s recent success. After scoring a career-high 37 goals last season, he only had two goals in the first 18 games this season. However, he has scored four goals in the past four games.
“I felt Frankie was going to score eventually,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said. “He’s a scorer, and those guys go through dry spells. … It doesn’t matter how many games you don’t score. I just believe when you score goals and you have a history of doing it, you’re eventually going to get rewarded.”
