Michael Amadio’s two goals and an assist propelled the Vegas Golden Knights to a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night, keeping their hopes alive for the Pacific Division title.
Edmonton’s 2-1 overtime win against Colorado prevented the Golden Knights from clinching the division outright, meaning the race will go down to the final game of the regular season.
Reilly Smith contributed a three-point performance, scoring on a rebound from Amadio’s shot and assisting on both of Amadio’s goals. Jonathan Marchessault scored during a 5-on-3 power play, and William Karlsson added two assists for Vegas.
Laurent Brossoit made 20 saves, maintaining his unbeaten record in regulation at 6-0-3 this season, with the Knights’ defense allowing only four shots on goal in the third period.
“If you can really put your thumb down on teams in the third period, it bodes really well for the playoffs,” Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “You have to get into those habits of playing a full 60 (minutes).”
Yanni Gourde scored the lone goal for the Kraken, who were playing their second game in as many nights.
“We had a good burst, probably the last 15 to 16 minutes of the first period, but we just couldn’t find any energy in the second and third,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “They played well. They were on top of us.”
The Golden Knights, who are 4-0-3 in their last seven games, lead the Pacific Division and Western Conference with 109 points. They face the Kraken again on Thursday night in Seattle for the regular-season finale. A win will secure Vegas’s division title, while a loss combined with an Oilers victory over San Jose would give Edmonton the top spot due to the tiebreaker. Edmonton currently sits at 107 points.
“We learned a lot about how (the Kraken) play, and we’re going to try to do the same thing when we go there,” Amadio said. “It’s a tight race, so all the points matter.”
Seattle saw its five-game winning streak come to an end. The Kraken, who have 100 points and have secured a playoff berth, are two points behind Los Angeles in the race for the Pacific Division’s third-place playoff spot.
Amadio had his second career two-goal game, the first being on Feb. 17, 2018, against Buffalo while with the Kings. It was also his second three-point game of the season.
“He’s been awesome all year,” Smith said. “I’m a big advocate of how well he plays and very fortunate to play with a guy like that. He’s got so much poise … and he makes a lot of smart plays. So I think he probably deserves more ice time and more opportunity.”
Smith’s three points marked a personal best for the season. He is one goal shy of 200 for his career.
Seattle’s Jared McCann had his three-game goal streak and five-game point streak halted.
Double Whammy
The Kraken faced a tough situation early in the third period with two minor penalties just 3:05 in. Will Borgen was called for interference, and Jesper Froden was called for hooking.
Vegas capitalized quickly when Marchessault scored 18 seconds later, extending their lead to 4-1.
“I didn’t like going down 5-on-3 in that situation,” Hakstol said. “They were probably marginal (calls). To go down 5-on-3, I thought that was a tough spot. That didn’t dictate the game’s outcome in any way, shape or form.”
Up Next
The teams meet again in Seattle on Thursday night for the regular-season finale for both.
