NHL playoffs: Lukas Dostal and Ducks defeat Vegas

LAS VEGAS — Before the Ducks had even checked out of their resort Wednesday for the short bus experience to T-Mobile Arena for Game 2 of their Stanley Cup playoff sequence, the Las Vegas sports activities books had made the hometown Golden Knights heavy favorites.

That proved to be a poor wager a couple of hours later when the Ducks rolled to a 3-1 victory, night the best-of-seven playoff sequence at 1-1. The second-round sequence resumes Friday at Honda Center.

The Ducks’ targets got here from Beckett Sennecke in the second period and Leo Carlsson and Jansen Harkins in the third. Harkins’ aim, into an empty web, was the exclamation level on the win. Jack Eichel scored Vegas’ only aim on a energy play in the ultimate seconds, denying goaltender Lukas Dostal and the Ducks their first shutout of the season.

It wasn’t the first time the Ducks defied the percentages this postseason. After dropping the opener of their first-round sequence to favored Edmonton, the Ducks gained 4 of the next 5.

This one shouldn’t have been that close. The youthful, sooner Ducks dominated the plodding Golden Knights for most of the sport, but Vegas stifled the Ducks’ energy play, which saved it in the sport.

“The way to beat them is just outpacing them,” Ducks middle Ryan Poehling said. “And it’s not just with speed. It’s how we play. Guys are supporting one another, and you saw that tonight.

“Tonight was kind of a game plan of what we want to do to win, for sure.”

The Golden Knights, who killed 4 penalties in Game 1, noticed three gamers go to the box in the first 5½ minutes, giving the Ducks a man benefit for eight consecutive minutes. For one minute and 41 seconds, Vegas was down two gamers.

Yet the Ducks couldn’t rating.

Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal protects the web in entrance of Vegas ahead Tomas Hertl during the second period.

(John Locher / Associated Press)

The Ducks had been shut out on another energy play in the second period, extending to 19 the quantity of consecutive penalties the Golden Knights have killed in the playoffs. They’ve allowed just one power-play aim in 25 tries in the postseason.

Which isn’t to say the Ducks weren’t harmful through the first period and a half, they had been. But goaltender Carter Hart was stellar, turning away 17 pictures before Sennecke obtained one past at 11:23 of the second. Jeffrey Viel set up the aim, with his move from behind the aim line discovering Sennecke for a fast wrist shot from the top of the crease.

Carlsson, left all alone on the appropriate facet, doubled the benefit with his fourth aim of the playoffs at 13:24 of the third period, redirecting in a backhand move from Troy Terry.

Defensive video games haven’t been the Ducks’ strength this season — they gave up more than 3.5 targets a recreation during the common season, more than any other playoff crew — but they’ve smothered the Golden Knights. They gave up just 23 pictures in Game 2.

Vegas was also plagued by poor passing and puck handling while the Ducks defenders did a good job of maintaining the crease clear.

Ducks ahead Leo Carlsson scores past Vegas goaltender Carter Hart during the first period Wednesday.

(John Locher / Associated Press)

“We’re picking a good time here to play our best hockey,” defenseman Jacob Trouba said.

Now the Ducks go home having cut up of the first two video games, but feeling like they’re main the sequence.

“We didn’t like Game 1 ended, but we liked our game,” Poehling said about a recreation that turned on a missed icing call. “That’s hockey sometimes. You can play the right way, do all the right things, we end up losing.

“We kept the momentum going into Game 2 and now we’re headed home, which is fantastic.”

For the once-favored Golden Knights, they need to maintain serve in Anaheim to keep home-ice benefit when the sequence returns to Las Vegas.

“We got a split here,” coach John Tortorella said. “We need to get a game there.”