Jonathan Marchessault’s two goals powered the Vegas Golden Knights to a 5-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night.
Keegan Kolesar, Reilly Smith, and Shea Theodore also found the net for the Golden Knights, securing their third consecutive win to start the season. Goalie Adin Hill made 31 saves in his debut start for the team.
Justin Schultz and Jaden Schwartz scored for Seattle in the third period. Martin Jones made 19 saves in the first two periods, and Philip Grubauer stopped all five shots he faced in the third.
Kolesar opened the scoring just 12 seconds into the game, capitalizing on a turnover by Seattle defenseman Will Borgen. William Carrier assisted by passing the puck to Kolesar, who quickly shot it into the lower left corner.
“That was a great turnover by Carrier. I missed a similar chance in Chicago, and I wasn’t going to miss this one,” said Kolesar, who played junior hockey with the Seattle Thunderbirds.
With Seattle’s Alex Wennberg serving a high-sticking penalty, Marchessault doubled the lead with a slap shot at 3:07 of the first period.
Smith extended the lead to 3-0 with a power-play goal midway through the second period, scoring just eight seconds into the man advantage with a quick pass from Chandler Stephenson.
Marchessault scored his second of the night and third of the season with 2:49 left in the second period, sending a shallow shot from the right side past Jones.
Theodore, another former Thunderbirds player, scored with a high slot shot just before the second period ended, making it 5-0.
“We’ve had a good start to the season, and it’s great to see everyone contributing,” said Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy. “We addressed our slow starts in previous games, which paid off tonight.”
The Kraken avoided a shutout, with Schultz scoring 6:41 left, followed by Schwartz, celebrating his 600th NHL game, adding another with 3:43 remaining.
“From the beginning, we were sluggish and couldn’t find our rhythm,” said Kraken coach Dave Hakstol. “We made too many mistakes that led to their opportunities, especially in the second period.”
GAME NOTES:
- The goal 12 seconds in was not a record for either team. The fastest goal in Golden Knights history was scored by William Karlsson just 10 seconds into a game against Colorado in April 2021.
- Seattle’s fastest goal conceded was 11 seconds into a game against Vancouver in February 2022.
- Vegas missed a chance to go up 3-0 when Jones saved Chandler Stephenson’s penalty shot in the second period.
UP NEXT:
- Golden Knights: Travel to Calgary for a game on Tuesday night.
- Kraken: Host the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night.
