Logan Thompson made 23 saves for his first NHL shutout as the visiting Vegas Golden Knights defeated the expansion Seattle Kraken 3-0 on Wednesday.
Shea Theodore, Michael Amadio and Jonathan Marchessault scored for Vegas, which won its third in a row as it chases a Western Conference playoff berth. Marchessault also had an assist.
Kraken goaltender Chris Driedger stopped 27 of the 29 shots he faced.
Seattle appeared to cut its deficit to 2-1 with 2:08 remaining and spoil Thompson’s shutout bid as Jordan Eberle poked a rebound into the net. However, Vegas coach Peter DeBoer challenged the call, and a video review determined Eberle was offside when entering the offensive zone, nullifying the goal.
After a scoreless first period, the Golden Knights got on the board at 7:38 of the second, just after a Kraken power play expired.
Jonas Rondbjerg got the puck and fed Theodore, who had just gotten out of the penalty box after serving a minor for high-sticking. Theodore took the pass just outside the Seattle blue line and skated in alone on Driedger, faking a forehand shot before lifting a backhander over the sprawling goalie.
Theodore was celebrating a homecoming of sorts, as he played junior hockey with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League.
Amadio made it 2-0 at 7:03 of the third period, backhanding a rebound between Driedger’s pads while being checked to the ice by Seattle’s Vince Dunn.
Marchessault clinched the victory with an empty-netter with 27 seconds remaining.
Vegas’ Keegan Kolesar, another former Thunderbird, dropped the gloves with the Kraken’s Jamie Oleksiak in the first period in a heavyweight bout.
Later in the period, Kolesar was involved in a collision along the boards with Seattle’s Riley Sheahan, and the Golden Knights winger didn’t return.
Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb was back in the lineup after missing the previous 13 games with a upper-body injury.
The teams will meet again Friday night in Seattle.
–Field Level Media