Defending champ Golden Knights to face top-seeded Stars in playoffs after 4-1 loss to Ducks

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Frank Vatrano scored three goals and the Anaheim Ducks finished their season on a high note, defeating the playoff-bound Vegas Golden Knights 4-1 Thursday night.

Vegas' three-game winning streak ended and the loss knocked the Golden Knights out of third place in the Pacific Division and into the second Western Conference wild card when Los Angeles earned a point by getting to overtime against Chicago. The defending Stanley Cup champions will face top seed Dallas in the first round beginning Monday night, while the Kings play Edmonton.

“Every team that's left standing is a good hockey team,” said Jack Eichel, who scored the lone Knights goal. “There's no easy path to winning. We understand every game's going to be a battle. I think we should be pretty excited. It's a great opportunity for our team.”

Vatrano’s goals gave him 37 for the season, a career high. It was his third hat trick this season and the sixth of his career.

Jackson LaCombe had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, who finished 27-50-5 for 59 points. Ryan Strome had two assists and Lukas Dostal made 29 saves.

Cutter Gauthier had an assist in his first career game. Just five days earlier, he was playing in the NCAA championship game at the Frozen Four for Boston College.

“It feels incredible,” Gauthier said of his primary assist on LaCombe's goal. “I heard Comber calling for it there and I passed it to him. I saw it trickle in there and just very excited, pure joy. It's something you dream of as a kid.”

Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg, who played his final NHL game after 12 seasons in the league, was congratulated by his teammates and then shook hands with Golden Knights players after the game. Eleven of his seasons came in Anaheim, where he ranks in the top 10 of several categories.

“I enjoyed my time here a lot, not just me but my family,” Silfverberg said. “It's been 11 amazing years. It's definitely a team I'll be rooting for and I'll follow them closely.”

Eichel's goal was his 31st, his most since scoring 36 in the 2019-20 season for Buffalo. Adin Hill made 19 stops.

William Karlsson's second-period assist for Vegas gave him 60 points this season, the second time he's reached the mark. He had 78 points in the 2017-18 season.

Karlsson remains the club's single-season goals leader at 43, with Jonathan Marchessault coming one short despite 13 shots against the Ducks, including seven on goal. Marchessault scored only one goal in his final seven games.

The Knights made a concerted effort to get Marchessault the record, sometimes feeding him the puck when there were better options. He had nine shots in the first period alone, four on goal to match the Ducks’ first-period total. Four other shots were blocked and one missed the net.

Anaheim didn’t take its first shot on goal until the 10-minute mark.

“We were asleep in the first 10, 12 minutes,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said. “We didn’t have our legs. They weren’t moving their feet. They weren’t moving the puck. Vegas was. We were very fortunate we weren’t down 2-0 in the first 10 minutes.”

After a scoreless first period, Vatrano scored at 4:25 of the second and Eichel at 18:47. That was Vegas' ninth power-play goal this month, tying Calgary for most in the NHL.

LaCombe and Vatrano scored 29 seconds apart early in the third period to give Anaheim the lead for good. Vatrano's final goal came with 15 seconds left on an empty-netter with the Knights on a 6-on-4 power play.

Ducks defenseman William Lagesson skated in his 100th career game.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

The Vegas Golden Knights celebrate a goal by Jack Eichel, center, against the Anaheim Ducks during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Anaheim Ducks right wing Cutter Gauthier waits for play to resume during the third period of the team's NHL hockey game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Anaheim Ducks right wing Frank Vatrano (77) celebrates a goal against the Vegas Golden Knights with teammates Trevor Zegras (11) and Ryan Strome (16) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (48) dives for the puck next to Anaheim Ducks right wing Cutter Gauthier (61) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore (27) and Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras (11) vie for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Chicago Blackhawks center Frank Nazar (91) attempts to steal the puck from Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alec Martinez (23) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras (11) skates with the puck between Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (48), left wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) and center Ivan Barbashev (49) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Anaheim Ducks right wing Jakob Silfverberg (33) shoots the puck against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

PHOENIX (AP) — A judge on Friday rejected an effort by GOP lawmakers to use the term “unborn human being” to refer to a fetus in the pamphlet that Arizona voters will use to weigh a ballot measure that would expand abortion access in the state.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Christopher Whitten said the wording the legislative council suggested is “packed with emotion and partisan meaning” and asked for what he called more “neutral” language. The measure aims to expand abortion access from 15 weeks to 24 weeks – the point at which a fetus can survive outside the womb.

It would allow exemptions to save the woman’s life or to protect her physical or mental health. It would also prevent the state from adopting or enforcing laws that would forbid access to the procedure.

Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma, who is a co-chair of the legislative council, said the group will appeal the court’s decision to the state Supreme Court.

“The ruling is just plain wrong and clearly partisan,” said Toma, a Republican.

The State Supreme Court has until Aug. 27 to rule on the appeal for the language to be changed.

Aaron Thacker, communications director for Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, noted that the final decision on the ballot itself remains in the air.

“There’s still a lot of scenarios at play," he said. "Even after the secretary certifies the signatures, the courts have to decide if counties can put it on the ballot or not."

Arizona for Abortion Access, the organization leading the ballot measure campaign, sued the council earlier this month over the suggested language and advocated for the term “fetus,” which the council rejected.

Attorney General Kris Mayes wrote in a motion to submit an amicus brief that “fetus" and “pregnancy” are both neutral terms that the council could adopt.

“It’s incredibly important to us that Arizona voters get to learn more about and weigh our measure in objective and accurate terminology,” said Dawn Penich, communications director for the abortion access group.

Democrats have centered abortion rights in their campaigns in this year’s elections. Organizers in five other states have also proposed similar measures that would codify abortion access in their state constitutions: Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada and South Dakota.

Arizona organizers submitted more than double the amount of signatures needed for the measure to appear on the ballot.

FILE - Arizona abortion-rights supporters deliver over 800,000 petition signatures to the capitol to get abortion rights on the November general election ballot July 3, 2024, in Phoenix. A judge on Friday, July 26, rejected an effort by GOP lawmakers to use the term “unborn human being” to refer to a fetus in the pamphlet that Arizona voters will use to decide on a ballot measure that would expand abortion access in the state. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)