The Golden Knights fell behind just 40 seconds into the game when Predators forward Ryan O’Reilly won an offensive-zone draw and quickly slid the puck back to Steven Stamkos, who buried a one-timer past Akira Schmid to give Nashville an early lead. Statistically, it’s a significant advantage for the Predators, who are 15-5-4 this season when scoring first.
Advertisement
Vegas dictated the pace for much of the opening frame. By the 13-minute mark, the Golden Knights had outshot the Predators 15–2, yet Nashville remained the only team on the board.
Stamkos was called for hooking Jack Eichel with 5:28 remaining in the period, giving Vegas its first power play of the game. Entering the man advantage, the Golden Knights were 0-for-5 on the power play over their last two games, and that drought continued. Despite several quality chances in front, including a sharp wrister from Mitch Marner that was gloved by Annunen and another opportunity that rang off the crossbar, Vegas came up empty.
At the end of 20 minutes, the Preds held a 1-0 lead despite getting outshot 21-4 by the Golden Knights.
Read the full article here
