Shea Theodore scored two goals, Marc-Andre Fleury made 21 saves and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Arizona Coyotes 5-2 on Wednesday night.
It marks the first time the Golden Knights have started 4-0-0 in their four-year existence. They’re the first team in the NHL to reach four wins this season.
Alex Tuch added a goal and two assists, Mark Stone had a goal and an assist, and Alex Pietrangelo scored his first goal with Vegas.
Vegas Golden Knights center Nicolas Roy (10) skates around Arizona Coyotes right wing Phil Kessel (81) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP PhotoJohn Locher)
Nick Schmaltz and Phil Kessel scored for Arizona (1-2-1). Darcy Kuemper made 24 saves.
Heading into the game, Golden Knights defensemen had no goals through three games despite taking 37.7% (34 of 90) of the team’s shots on goal.
That scoring drought ended when Theodore fired the team’s first shot on goal past Kuemper with a blistering slap shot from the top of the right circle. Three minutes later it was Pietrangelo, the club's prize acquisition during the offseason, giving Vegas a 2-0 lead with the team’s third shot on goal.
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Reilly Smith (19) passes around Arizona Coyotes center Derick Brassard (16) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP PhotoJohn Locher)
Pietrangelo and Theodore finished fourth and sixth in last year’s voting for the Norris Trophy, honoring the league’s top defenseman.
Fleury did his part to keep momentum on Vegas’ side with several highlight-reel saves, including stops on Jakob Chychrun and Johan Larsson in the first period, and second-period gems against Phil Kessel and Drake Caggiula to keep Arizona off the board.
Stone made it 3-0 after Nic Hague created a turnover as the Coyotes were exiting the zone. Max Pacioretty gathered the loose puck after Hague poked it loose from Lawson Crouse and tapped it to Stone, who slipped the puck between Kuemper’s skate and the post.
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) blocks a shot by Arizona Coyotes center Nick Schmaltz (8) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP PhotoJohn Locher)
Arizona answered shortly afterward when Schmaltz’s one-timer rang off the post past Fleury.
Theodore got his second goal of the night during a 4-on-4 early in the third period on an odd-man rush after a turnover by Arizona’s Jason Demers in the Coyotes zone. One minute later, Tuch gave Vegas its first power-play goal of the season when he blew past two defenders on the right wing and went five-hole on Kuemper, extending Vegas’ lead to four.
Kessel’s redirect on Chychrun’s drive from the point brought Arizona within three with a little more than 12 minutes left.
Arizona Coyotes left wing John Hayden (15) skates up the ice against Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson (71) and defenseman Nicolas Hague (14) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP PhotoJohn Locher)
UP NEXT
The Coyotes and Golden Knights shift their four-game, home-and-home series to Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, for back-to-back games on Friday and Sunday.
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