The Vegas Golden Knights played another good 60 minutes in a 4-1 victory against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Wednesday.
“We’ve been playing really good hockey, really good winning hockey,” said Vegas forward Alexander Holtz, who scored a goal. “Obviously, nice to get out with two wins here, and it’s going to be nice to get back home and play at the fortress again.”
The Golden Knights improved to 17-7-3 on the season.
Here are some takeaways from the game:
Samsonov Bounces Back
It was a rough night for Golden Knights goalie Ilya Samsonov in his last outing. Fans mocked him during the game against the Utah Hockey Club.
Samsonov bounced back in a big way, making 19 saves in his 14th career NHL shutout.
“Two points. Really important for me. Tough last night for me in Vegas and last couple of days, it was a real hard practice,” Samsonov said. “I needed (to get) back on track. I think it’s good to get two points and just continue to work on my game.”
Another Defensive Gem By Golden Knights
The Golden Knights were dominant on the defensive end for the second straight night.
They limited the Ducks to 19 shots on goal, along with 17 blocked shots, to put together another defensive gem.
“We got to get to that game a little more often. It’s not going to happen all the time, but it’s something we wanted to focus on coming out of training camp. I don’t think we’ve hit that level defensively yet, but I thought today was one of our better ones again,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Last night, it was the third period, we kind of bent but didn’t break. I thought we had a better third period tonight, able to extend the lead and really limit their damage. Lot of that’s puck management. Making them go 200 feet. That way, you get to use everybody, and no one is fatigued. I thought we checked better, too, over top of people. We did that well last night, but even better tonight. I’m not sure there were odd-man rushes at all, so that’s always a good thing.”
Olofsson Picking Up Form
Forward Victor Olofsson found his form, picking up two points with a pair of assists for the Golden Knights.
It was his first two assists of the season. He has three goals, before sustaining a lower-body injury on Oct. 15 against the Washington Capitals. Olofsson wasn’t in form in his first two games, but is slowly finding his legs.
He finished the game, playing alongside Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev.
4 Nations Selections Control Game
It was a good night for the ones selected for the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Team Canada selection Shea Theodore scored twice, while Team Sweden forward William Karlsson also scored. Team USA forward Eichel had two assists.
The Golden Knights had seven selections to the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Paul Delos Santos is the Las Vegas sports insider for Dice City Sports. Follow him on X at @PaulDelos_.
