Mitch Marner posted his first career playoff hat trick in a four-point outing as the visiting Vegas Golden Knights thumped the Anaheim Ducks 6-2 on Friday to take a two-games-to-one lead in their Western Conference semifinal series.
“There’s a lot of work to still go,” Marner said. “It’s always nice to contribute, but we just want to do what we can to try and win hockey games.”
Shea Theodore and Brett Howden both collected one goal and one assist while Brayden McNabb added a goal for Vegas. Carter Hart made 31 saves in the victory.
“I thought we entered the series tonight,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said.
The Golden Knights will look to take a commanding lead in the best-of-seven series when they hit the ice for Game 4 on Sunday in Anaheim.
Beckett Sennecke and Chris Kreider scored for the Ducks. Starting goalie Lukas Dostal surrendered three goals on eight shots and was replaced after the first period. Ville Husso stopped 17 of 19 shots in relief.
“I think there’s a lesson to take out of today’s game,” Anaheim coach Joel Quenneville said. “It’s only gonna get harder every single game, not gonna get any easier. So let’s get ready to go to war.
“They played like an experienced bunch and they know what’s necessary as you progress in a series. They got our attention.”
After struggling to generate offense in the first two games of the series, the Golden Knights received the big start they wanted. Theodore opened the scoring 66 seconds into the clash when he joined the rush and buried an open chance from the slot.
McNabb doubled the lead with a short-handed goal at 12:13, finding the mark inside the far post from the left faceoff circle after receiving a drop pass from Marner. It was the third short-handed goal of the playoffs for Vegas.
Marner made it a 3-0 game before the opening frame was in the books. During a power-play flurry, Marner was at the side of the net and tapped home the loose puck with 4.6 seconds remaining in the period.
Marner continued the onslaught in the middle frame, notching his second of the game just before the midway point. Theodore threaded a pass as Marner went to the net, and the slick forward easily tucked a shot inside the post.
Marner completed his hat trick when his sharp-angled shot squeezed through Husso with 2:04 remaining in the second period.
Sennecke put the Ducks on the board when he shoved a loose puck over the line at 6:30 of the third period, and then Kreider made it a 5-2 game with a quick shot while parked in the low slot with 4:41 remaining.
Howden’s empty-net goal with 1:56 to go rounded out the scoring.
The victory came at a price for Vegas, however. Captain Mark Stone did not play the final two periods after appearing to injure himself while backchecking late in the opening frame.
Tortorella provided no update regarding Stone after the game.
–Field Level Media
