Shea Theodore scored in the second period just after exiting the penalty box, and goalie Logan Thompson recorded 23 saves for his first career shutout, leading the Vegas Golden Knights to a 3-0 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday night.
Michael Amadio also found the net for Vegas, striving to secure one of the remaining Western Conference playoff spots. Jonathan Marchessault added an empty-net goal with 26 seconds remaining, marking his team-leading 26th goal of the season.
“They came out with a little more fire, and Logan made some big saves in the first period, which allowed us to recognize that this was going to be a hard one,” said Vegas coach Pete DeBoer. “Getting some veteran defensemen back, like Brayden McNabb and Alec Martinez, made it harder for opponents to reach our net. Logan has improved each night, and the team played great around him.”
Seattle’s Chris Driedger made 27 stops.
Theodore’s goal came shortly after serving two minutes for high sticking early in the second. As he moved across the ice, Seattle’s Victor Rask turned the puck over to Vegas’ Jonas Rondbjerg, who passed it to Theodore. Theodore then went one-on-one against Driedger, lifting the puck over the goalie’s glove into the right side of the net at the 7:38 mark. It was Theodore’s ninth goal of the season.
Amadio doubled the lead to 2-0 at 7:03 of the third. During a scramble near the goalmouth, he reached out with his stick for a rebound while falling to the ice, sending the puck toward the net. It deflected off the skate of Kraken defender Adam Larsson and into the net.
Seattle thought they scored with 2:21 left in the game when Jordan Eberle put the puck in off a rebound. However, the play was ruled offside after a video review due to a Vegas challenge.
The shutout marked the third of the season for the Golden Knights.
“It’s getting better every day. I feel really confident in the net, and I want to keep building off of it,” said Thompson, filling in for the injured Robin Lehner. “The guys did a great job today, making it easy for me. We’re in must-win games, and I’m thankful for the opportunity. I’m soaking it all in.”
Seattle was shut out for the fourth time this season, including three times on home ice.
“We didn’t generate much, especially in the second half of the game,” said Kraken coach Dave Hakstol. “The second period was the turning point. Against a good team, we didn’t manage the puck well, leading to their transition offense and prolonged offensive zone time. They outworked us, got inside, and created scoring opportunities.”
Game Notes
Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb returned to action after missing 13 games due to an upper-body injury, last playing on March 3 against Boston. Chris Driedger made his second consecutive start for Seattle, and it was the third time he’d started back-to-back games this season. His shutout streak of 82 minutes and 14 seconds ended with Theodore’s goal. Theodore’s goal gave him 39 points for the season, the highest among Vegas defensemen. Golden Knights right winger Evgenii Dadonov played in his 400th NHL game.
UP NEXT
- The Golden Knights and Kraken face off again in Seattle on Friday night.
