Ducks vs. Golden Knights: Leo Carlsson and a 4-0 Lead Barely Survive a Furious Vegas Rally

By the midpoint of the second period, the Anaheim Ducks were up 4-0 in Las Vegas and the only real question seemed to be the final margin. By the final minute, they were scrambling in their own crease trying to keep a three-goal collapse from becoming a full-blown horror story.

They held on. The Ducks opened their season with a 4-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night at T-Mobile Arena, with Leo Carlsson scoring a goal and setting up another and Lukas Dostal making 27 saves. It was a statement win against the team that knocked them out of the second round last spring, even if the last 15 minutes were more stress test than statement.

Eight Seconds, Then Five and a Half Minutes of Mayhem

The first period was tight and a little sloppy until the very end. Cutter Gauthier took two minors in the opening 20 minutes, but Anaheim killed both, and moments after the second one expired, Carlsson spotted Beckett Sennecke sneaking behind the Vegas defense. Carlsson flipped an airborne lead pass, Sennecke gathered it on a breakaway and beat Carter Hart with eight seconds left in the frame.

Carlsson was hilariously candid about the pass. "I was so tired," he said. "I really didn't think much. So I'm all alone, I tried to pass it as hard as I could in the air, and ended up being perfect."

Then the second period opened like a fire drill for Vegas. Alex Killorn tipped a Noah Warren point shot at 1:33, and that assist was the first career point for Warren, who was making his NHL debut. Just 55 seconds later, a Jackson LaCombe point shot took two detours, first off Tim Washe and then off Jeff Malott's right skate, before squeezing through Hart's five-hole. At 7:03, Hart stopped A.J. Greer but could not recover in time, and Carlsson tucked the rebound into a vacant net. Three goals in five and a half minutes, and a 4-0 lead.

The Turning Point: A Challenge That Backfired

Vegas finally got on the board at 4:38 of the third, when Shea Theodore snapped one inside the far post from the right face-off dot. Anaheim challenged for offside, the review upheld the goal and the Ducks were left shorthanded. Tomas Hertl banked in a power-play goal off the right post at 6:07, and just like that, it was 4-2 with plenty of time left.

Ducks coach Joel Quenneville owned the decision afterward. "They said they tagged up, so we got to look at it. I hadn't looked at that part of it. My fault," he said. Vegas coach Ryan Craig saw it the same way from the other bench. "The challenge obviously helped us," Craig said.

Braeden Bowman made it 4-3 with 2:50 left, pouncing on a loose puck during a goalmouth scramble, and the Golden Knights pulled Hart and kept coming. Craig said his team was "one play away at the end in the blue paint from tying it up," but Dostal and a swarm of Anaheim bodies kept it out.

Carlsson Shines, Dostal Survives

Carlsson's line was simple and effective: one goal, one assist and a plus-1 in 17:43. He was at the center of both of Anaheim's best sequences, the late first-period strike and the third goal of the second-period burst.

Dostal stopped 27 of 30 shots for a .900 save percentage, and Vegas threw 30 shots at him to Anaheim's 20. He also had plenty of help: the Ducks blocked 16 shots, with Tristan Luneau alone blocking five while logging 26:58 and finishing plus-3. LaCombe played 29:37, a huge workload for opening night. Dostal sounded like a guy who knew how close it got. "First one done, 83 more to go," he said. "They're a really good team. They can turn it on, and they played the right way for 60 minutes."

For Vegas, Jack Eichel picked up two assists, his third and fourth of the season, and won 12 of 21 draws. Mitch Marner set up Hertl's power-play goal, and Hart made just 16 saves on 20 shots before going to the bench for the extra attacker. Captain Mark Stone was frank about the hole his team dug. "But when you get down in a hole 4-0, you're not going to come back very often," Stone said.

Stats That Matter

• 3 goals in 5:30: Anaheim's second-period burst, from Killorn at 1:33 to Carlsson at 7:03.
• 30-20: Vegas' shot advantage. The Golden Knights pushed hard once they fell behind.
• .800: Hart's save percentage on 20 shots. Not his night.
• 1-for-3 vs. 0-for-2: Vegas cashed in on the power play that followed Anaheim's failed challenge.
• 25-18: Anaheim's edge in hits, the scrappier team on the night.

What It Means

Anaheim is 1-0-0 after a season opener that will produce both a highlight package and a film session. The AP noted that the teams met in the second round of last season's playoffs, with Vegas winning in six games on the way to a Western Conference title, so beating the Golden Knights in their building carries a little extra weight. The Ducks host Florida on Sunday. The NHL.com recap also noted that Greer was making his Ducks debut after arriving in a trade with Florida on June 29, a nice wrinkle given who comes to town next.

Vegas falls to 1-1-0 after opening the season with a 5-2 home win over Chicago on Tuesday. The rally showed the Golden Knights' pulse, but Stone's point stands: a team with this much talent cannot spot anyone four goals. Vegas visits Vancouver on Sunday night.

Gordon Bombay Would Be Proud

Quenneville's challenge nearly turned a blowout into an all-timer of the wrong kind, but give him credit for the most refreshing postgame line of the night. Owning a mistake out loud is very Mighty Ducks of him. The Ducks hung on, and the coach took the blame. That is a team-building exercise right there.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details from the Associated Press; postgame quotes and team notes as reported by NHL.com.