Ducks build 4-0 lead, hold off Golden Knights rally
Anaheim scored three times in the second period and survived a three-goal Vegas push in the third to win its season opener 4-3.
What's newThe NHL upheld Shea Theodore's goal after Brett Howden legally tagged up, penalising Anaheim for its unsuccessful challenge.
The Anaheim Ducks nearly gave it all back, but they held on to beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 at T-Mobile Arena on Friday in their season opener.
Anaheim led 4-0 after two periods. Leo Carlsson had a goal and an assist, and Beckett Sennecke, Alex Killorn and Jeff Malott also scored. Lukas Dostal made 27 saves.
Sennecke put the Ducks up 1-0 at 19:52 of the first, getting behind the defence on a breakaway after a Carlsson pass and lifting a shot over Carter Hart. Killorn made it 2-0 at 1:33 of the second with a redirect of a Noah Warren point shot. The assist was Warren's first NHL point in his first NHL game. Malott scored 55 seconds later, and Carlsson tapped a rebound into an open net at 7:03 to make it 4-0.
Vegas answered in the third. Shea Theodore beat Dostal from the right dot at 4:38. Anaheim challenged for offside, but the NHL ruled that Brett Howden had legally tagged up at the blue line before playing the puck. The goal stood, and the Ducks received a two-minute delay-of-game penalty for the unsuccessful challenge. Tomas Hertl scored on the ensuing power play at 6:07, banking one in off the right post. Braeden Bowman scored at 17:10 for the 4-3 final. Jack Eichel had two assists for Vegas, and Hart made 16 saves.
