Ducks can’t solve Golden Knights, who complete season sweep

By W.G. RAMIREZ The Associated Press

LAS VEGAS — The Ducks likely have to wait until next season to try to solve the puzzle that is the Vegas Golden Knights.

Tomas Hertl scored a go-ahead goal midway through the third period, Adin Hill made 31 saves and Vegas beat the Ducks, 3-1, to complete a four-game regular-season sweep on Monday night and improve to 27-7-1 all-time against their Pacific Division rivals.

After the Ducks tied the score on Mason McTavish’s goal early in the second period, Hertl broke the tie when he took a pass from Jack Eichel in front of Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal and maneuvered to his backhand.

Tanner Pearson had a short-handed goal in the first period and Keegan Kolesar added a goal and an assist for Vegas, which won its fourth straight game and prevailed for the eighth time in nine games. Hill earned his 50th career win with Pacific Division-leading Vegas, which improved to 14-3-0 at home this season.

Dostal made 19 saves in relief of Ducks starter John Gibson, who stopped all 11 shots he faced before leaving in the first period when Vegas’ Tanner Laczynski, spinning around to race back up the ice, inadvertently poked the veteran netminder in the eye with the blade of his stick.

The Ducks were playing the second game of a back-to-back that began with a 5-4 shootout victory over Utah on Sunday night in Salt Lake City. After playing 65 minutes in that one, Dostal added 39:37 in relief of Gibson, for a total of 104:37 in roughly 24 hours.

Vegas, which had allowed the first goal in five consecutive games, snapped that streak late in the first period on Pearson’s first goal in 12 games and fourth career short-handed goal. Alex Killorn turned the puck over in his own zone, and Pearson then fired a wrist shot from the high slot inside the left post at 19:19.

With a chance to steal momentum in the second period, the Ducks’ Killorn dumped the puck in. Hill went behind the net to get the puck, which caromed off one of the linesman’s skates and went on goal. Hill dove awkwardly to make the save, and the Ducks’ Leo Carlsson had a wide-open net but fired a backhand wide right.

The Ducks tied the score at 1:13 of the third period when McTavish cut down the slot, took a pass from Radko Gudas and fired a wrist shot under Hill’s glove.

Hertl, alone in front of the net, put the Golden Knights back in front, 2-1, at 9:36 of the third off of Eichel’s pass from just inside the blue line.

Kolesar made it 3-1 with 4:10 left when he redirected William Karlsson’s crossing pass inside the right post for his career-high ninth goal.

The Ducks’ Brock McGinn left with a lower-body injury after running into Hertl on the boards, leaving the Ducks to shuffle fourth-line wing Brett Leason.

The victory was the 119th for Coach Bruce Cassidy with the Golden Knights, passing Gerard Gallant for the most in franchise history. The former Jack Adams award winner is 119-59-20 with the club, which began play in the 2017-18 season. Gallant went 118-75-20.

UP NEXT

After a brief holiday break, the Ducks host Philadelphia on Saturday at 1 p.m. and Edmonton on Sunday at 1 p.m.