LAS VEGAS (AP) Gerard Gallant and the Vegas Golden Knights still think Tom Wilson’s third-period hit on Jonathan Marchessault in the
Stanley Cup Final opener was too late and probably a bit dirty.The coach also
believes it sparked his team’s comeback victory in that Game 1 thriller.So while
he wasn’t happy to hear Wilson will face no discipline from the NHL
Adidas Christian Folin Jersey , Gallant is hoping his team will remember the hit – and more importantly, how they played right after it – when they
attempt to take a 2-0 series lead on the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night
on the Strip.”The good thing about the hit is it really woke our team up,”
Gallant said after an optional practice at the Golden Knights’ suburban training
complex. ”I think it was a 4-4 game?”Indeed, two novice Stanley Cup finalists
were deep into an entertainingly ramshackle opener, but the Knights took charge
after that fateful collision left Marchessault sprawled on the ice. Vegas
quickly got Tomas Nosek’s go-ahead goal , eventually won 6-4 and surged one game
closer to an improbable championship.The focused aggression necessary to be a
successful postseason team is a delicate concoction. The Golden Knights and Caps
both had it during the conference playoffs, but they both admit it got away from
them in Game 1.”I think both teams can be better,” Washington coach Barry Trotz
said. ”It was a pretty sloppy game.”After one game to get used to the sky-high
stakes of the last round of this tournament, both teams intend to channel their
nervous energy more constructively in the future. Both coaches stressed the
importance of discipline, completing assignments and not allowing the frenetic
Vegas crowd to overwhelm their emotions.”There’s obviously nerves,” Washington’s
Jay Beagle said. ”I’m not surprised at anything anymore, but in the Stanley Cup
Final, usually it’s 2-1 or 1-0, not (6-4). But you don’t know what to expect
from a team that you don’t know that much. Now we’ve got to know them a little
bit more.”The mistakes that worry coaches also lead to exciting hockey, and the
opener was thoroughly entertaining even before Wilson lowered the boom on
Marchessault. The teams combined for a Final-record four lead changes in the
highest-scoring opener in eight years for this final round.Wilson, who served a
three-game suspension in the second round for breaking the jaw of Pittsburgh’s
Zach Aston-Reese, and the Capitals still insist the hard-charging forward did
nothing wrong when he leveled the Golden Knights’ top playoff scorer.”It’s
within the rules,” Wilson said after practice at T-Mobile Arena. ”It’s a clean
hit. I don’t know why it got so much media attention, to be honest. It’s a hard
hit, but that’s the day and age we’re in. … I’m trying to play my game. There’s
a lot of those hits that are going on, but it’s the Stanley Cup Final
Adidas Matt Cullen Jersey , and it’s within the rules.”The NHL Department of Player Safety agreed when it decided not to discipline Wilson for the
shoulder-to-shoulder hit, clearly deciding that Wilson’s timing wasn’t
extraordinarily late.Marchessault went to the dressing room and was examined for
a possible concussion, but returned to the game. Gallant said the forward is
feeling fine for Game 2.The Capitals had their own complaint about Vegas forward
David Perron, who jumped on the ice after the whistle and made contact with
Washington captain Alex Ovechkin during the scuffles immediately after the
hit.Once the emotions died down, both teams realized they’ve got to check their
more primal urges if they hope to play a solid game on the NHL’s biggest stage.
The atmosphere in Las Vegas for the city’s first Final has been electric, but
the Caps weren’t intimidated by the frenzied crowd.Washington goalie Braden
Holtby said the biggest difference about playing in Vegas is ”the bass they put
in the building. Maybe that’s a little false when … you’re literally shaking
from the bass. That’s the only difference. (Their) fans are loud. Our fans are
loud. Tampa’s, Pitt’s, Columbus, all fans are loud.”The condition of the
T-Mobile Arena ice also caused occasional problems for both teams with its
inconsistencies and general roughness, but nobody is claiming the first-year NHL
building has any unusual problems. The conditions certainly didn’t hurt the
offensive players in any meaningful way, given the final score.”Ice isn’t an
excuse, because it’s the same for both teams,” Holtby said. ”You just want to
figure it out quicker than them, and obviously they’ve had the advantage playing
here for a while. Our ice isn’t any different than it is here. It’s just little
differences. When it’s that hot out, there’s always one thing that’s not great.
We’re just figuring out what you can and can’t do.”—More Stanley Cup coverage:
https://apnews.com/tag/StanleyCupFinals LAS VEGAS (AP) For the Western
Conference-leading Vegas Golden Knights, the third time was indeed a charm
against the Edmonton Oilers.William Karlsson got the 100th point of his career
with his 30th goal of the season as the Golden Knights beat the Oilers 4-1
Thursday night.Vegas improved to 14-1-1 against Pacific Division teams in its
inaugural season, while avenging its two losses, which both came against the
Oilers. The 8-2 loss at Edmonton on Nov. 14 still ranks as the worst loss in
Vegas’ 57-game history.Article continues below ...”They owned us pretty well,
they dominated us the first game in Edmonton, and then they beat us in overtime
back here the last time, and you want to beat the team
Adidas Jimmy Hayes Jersey ,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. ”It was a big game, it’s a divisional game for us again tonight. It’s a team we haven’t
beaten yet, so the guys wanted to come out and play hard tonight.”Ryan
Carpenter, Jonathan Marchessault and Erik Haula also scored for Vegas, while
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 28 shots to improve to 18-6-2 and move seven wins shy
of 400 for his career.”That was a good one, from start to finish,” Fleury said.
”The guys played great, we were able to get some goals by different guys. A lot
of guys chipped in and everybody played well defensively in the zone. A lot of
blocked shots, and we didn’t give them too much, so it was nice.”Leon Draisaitl
scored Edmonton’s lone goal, his 17th of the season, and Cam Talbot finished
with 24 saves.After totaling five points in the first two meetings, Edmonton
All-Star Connor McDavid was limited to just two shots, as the Golden Knights
eliminated the league’s fastest player’s speed in the neutral zone, where he’s
most effective.”Obviously he’s one of the best players in the world, so it’s a
pretty cool thing to keep him to two shots,” Vegas defenseman Brad Hunt said.
”It’s a tribute to the guys who played against him all night.”The Oilers, who
are have been rumored to be sellers as the Feb. 26 trade deadline approaches,
have now lost five straight and continue to descend in the Western Conference
standings.”I think it’s clear we have to create (better) habits and those
details have to become a habit for us,” Oilers forward Mike Cammalleri said. ”We
need a real effort from us. Our coaches do a great job preparing us.”The Golden
Knights scored a power-play goal for the 11th time in 12 games, going 1-for-2
with a man advantage. Edmonton
Adidas Derek Grant Jersey , which ranks 30th in the league with its power play, was 0 for 1 in its lone attempt with an extra skater.Carpenter opened the
scoring when he tapped home a rebound with just under seven minutes remaining in
the first period.A little more than four minutes into the second, Marchessault
was in perfect position in front of the net to redirect Nate Schmidt’s wrist
shot from the point, past Talbot stick side.Karlsson picked up his milestone
point when he beat Talbot with a sneaky backhand that slipped under his arm with
7:13 to go in the middle period.Haula, who was a late scratch from Tuesday’s
game versus Chicago due to the flu, scored his 22nd goal of the season after
standing in front and one-timing James Neal’s pass from behind the net at 4:15
of the third to make it 4-0.”I don’t want to give us too much credit, I think we
can be a lot better, that’s why I kind of take a step back,” Haula said. ”I like
to be critical. As a line I think we can do a better job in getting to the net
and creating some more shot opportunities.”Draisaitl spoiled Fleury’s shutout
bid when his wrist shot from the side sneaked through top shelf with 7 1/2
minutes to go.”It’s too bad, we really wanted Flower to get that shutout, I
think he deserves that, he’s played a lot of games and he’s played really well
obviously, so that was a bummer,” Haula added. ”Other than that, two points
great, now we move on.”NOTES: The Golden Knights are now 23-3-0 when scoring
first and their .884 win percentage when recording the opening goal leads the
NHL. … Deryk Engelland, who was born in Edmonton, set a new career-high in
points for a season with 18 after his assist. … Draisaitl now has points in 11
of his last 13 games, with six goals and 11 assists. … Vegas improved to 21-4-2
at home, one win from matching the NHL record for the most by an expansion team
in its first season.UP NEXTOilers: At Arizona on Saturday.Golden Knights: Host
Montreal on Saturday.
