Mark Stone, Golden Knights show they're the greater expansion story by thumping Seattle
Once upon a time, a hockey franchise in Seattle claimed that they were a greater expansion story than the Vegas Golden Knights. That was despite players like Mark Stone and Jack Eichel keeping the Golden Knights afloat and bringing home a Stanley Cup. Still, that didn't deter some fans from making the boisterous claim.
Alas, that's not what happened on Tuesday night as the Golden Knights obliterated the Seattle Kraken, 6-2. Sure, there were some rough hits, including one on Trevor Connelly from Ryan Winterton. But Vegas dominated the play offensively on Tuesday.
Victor Olofsson scored a goal off a deflection from a Rasmus Andersson shot and got another in the second period before getting injured from a boarding call from Ben Meyers. Tomas Hertl added two power play goals and Mark Stone scored a shorthanded goal from Jack Eichel on an odd-man rush. Speaking of Eichel, he scored on a breakaway to put the game out of reach. Jared McCann scored for the Kraken on the power play and Shane Wright chipped in another for Seattle.
Stone is the fastest player in Golden Knights history to record 400 points during his Vegas residency (404 GP). He's the third Golden Knights player to reach that mark.
The Vegas Golden Knights get the strong start they needed thanks to Mark Stone and the top stars
Remember when Mark Stone and Tomas Hertl were two names mentioned in the article about rebounding? The Golden Knights needed certain players to break out and the premise was that they would. Well, it appears that Tuesday night was that night. The shorthanded goal is a prime example.
Seattle looked out of sorts on the power play and left Stone and Eichel wide open. The two Golden Knights superstars crashed into the offensive zone, with Eichel feeding Stone for a beautiful finish. That was the overall theme for the night, as Vegas looked faster and more competent than the Kraken. Stone even got into a fight with Brandon Montour! You can say it was a productive night as the Captain got stick taps.
Eichel himself scored on a breakaway. In turn, he had a four-point night and the Golden Knights got into cruise control in the Pacific Northwest. Not to be outdone, Carter Hart had a strong game in net that included a solid save on the doorstep in the first period. Overall, he stopped 25 of 27 shots.
The Golden Knights will head home on Thursday to take on Mitch Marner's old team, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Meanwhile, the lesser expansion story will head to Detroit to take on the Red Wings on Friday. But Tuesday? Well, everyone knows who the greater expansion story was (hint: they play in a smaller television market).
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