Thompson shines in goal as Golden Knights top Kings 5-1

Published Mar. 19, 2022 6:52 p.m. ET

Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Logan Thompson stopped 37 shots and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Los Angeles Kings 5-1 on Saturday.

Thompson, last season’s American Hockey League goalie of the year for Vegas’ affiliate in nearby Henderson, picked up his second straight win for the Golden Knights, who have won two straight after a franchise-worst five-game losing streak.

Thompson, who beat red-hot Florida on Friday, has allowed just four goals while turning away 73 shots the past two games. Saturday marked just his sixth appearance of the season.

Evgenii Dadonov, Chandler Stephenson, Mattias Janmark, Alex Pietrangelo and Michael Amadio scored for the Golden Knights.

Phillip Danault scored for Los Angeles, and Cal Petersen made 19 saves.

Los Angeles outshot Vegas 38-24 — and 18-4 in the third period alone — but it was Thompson’s show in front of an announced crowd of 18,136 for Saturday’s matinee.

Dadonov kept his hot streak alive, scoring his fifth goal in seven games when he gathered a rebound from his initial shot, skated around the back of the net and stuffed the puck in on a wraparound to give Vegas a 1-0 lead.

On a carryover power play from the first period, Jack Eichel delivered a picture-perfect pass on the tape for Stephenson, who needed only tap it past Petersen to push Vegas’ lead to 2-0.

Eichel, who made his season debut on Feb. 16 after recovering from artificial disk replacement surgery in his neck in November, now has 11 points in 16 games.

Danault cut Vegas’ lead in half when Trevor Moore delivered a pass from behind the net for a quick snapper with a backhand to beat Thompson.

With Los Angeles continuing to struggle with its power play, Nic Roy fed a streaking Janmark, who skated into the zone alone, held off Los Angeles defender Sean Durzi, and beat Petersen for a short-handed goal to put Vegas back on top by two goals.

It was the ninth short-handed goal the Kings have allowed this season, tied with the New Jersey Devils for most in the NHL. It was also Janmark’s first goal since Jan. 6.

Pietrangelo scored an empty-netter from the red line, while Amadio added the exclamation point past Petersen with a little more than a minute left to provide the final margin.

UP NEXT

Los Angeles: Opens a four-game homestand Tuesday against Nashville.

Vegas: Plays at Minnesota on Monday.

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