The Vegas Golden Knights served up a perfect response for their worst loss of the season.
Now the Golden Knights will try to use the same formula when they visit the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night.
Vegas, with goaltender Adin Hill making 28 saves, blanked the high-octane Edmonton Oilers 1-0 on Tuesday, a strong defensive performance after a 6-0 loss to Utah in the team’s previous outing.
“It was a good defensive game by both sides, so I think we got a little lucky with our goal there, and a 1-0 game feels like a 2003 throwback,” Hill said. “It was a fun game. They got some shots and some chances, but … our guys did a great job kind of keeping them to the outside.
“I thought it was one of our best defensive efforts of the season.”
The Golden Knights are riding a 5-1-1 run that has them atop the Pacific Division.
That’s not to say Tuesday’s win was not without issues. The Oilers outshot Vegas 16-2 in the third period, and the Golden Knights were held without a shot for the final 19:04. But coach Bruce Cassidy wasn’t about to complain about a victory.
“We did our jobs well. That’s what you have to do against Edmonton. It’s no easy task when (Connor) McDavid’s coming at you fast, and (Leon) Draisaitl is a strong guy through the neutral zone,” Cassidy said. “But we were able to check in layers against them, and I think that’s when we’re the most effective.”
The clash was only the fifth game in NHL history with no penalty minutes and one goal or fewer, and the first since a matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks on Feb. 20, 1944.
The Ducks, meanwhile, have won two of their past three games and are on a 5-2-1 run, a drastic improvement from the past few seasons.
Anaheim is coming off a 4-3 shootout win over the visiting Ottawa Senators on Sunday, a game in which the Ducks surrendered the lead three times but still earned the victory.
“We’re finally starting to get rewarded for some things we’re doing,” said forward Frank Vatrano, who had two goals and an assist.
“The biggest thing with us is, we know where each other’s going to be. We’re always playing in sync, and we know where our outs are, so it’s not like we’re trying to out-skill teams — we’re just trying to out-smart them and just play the right way. It’s good to see us getting on the scoresheet and we’re getting wins.”
Vatrano is playing a huge part in the team’s recent success. After scoring a career-best 37 goals last season, he netted only two goals in the first 18 games this season but has four goals in the past four outings.
“I felt Frankie was going to score eventually,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said. “He’s a scorer, and those guys go through dry spells. … It doesn’t matter how many games you don’t score. I just believe when you score goals and you have a history of doing it, you’re eventually going to get rewarded.”
