A good start didn’t make it all the way to a good finish tonight in Vegas.
Nashville started the game off strong, controlling the puck relentlessly but not getting that many dangerous looks with their near-exclusive possession. Alex Carrier drew a tripping penalty from Chandler Stevenson halfway through the first period, but the Preds struggled to get going on the power play and didn’t manage to score.
It was almost 15 minutes into the period when Juuse Saros had to make his first save of the game, in the middle of another rush. The Preds didn’t manage to get the zone clear this time, and Mark Stone got the Knights on the board at 15:25. Yakov Trenin almost got it back on his next shift, but shot wide, and reacted with a heartfelt stare to the rafters.
Stone opened the second period with another goal, making it 2-0 at 1:11. Despite another power-play opportunity, when Stone tripped Filip Forsberg, the Preds struggled to respond. Saros had to make a huge stop on Chandler Stephenson on a breakaway, but–again–Nashville struggled to clear the zone, and Carrier was whistled for a penalty, giving the Golden Knights their first power play chance of the game.
Ryan McDonagh almost managed a shorthanded goal, but shot high; while the Preds still struggled to gain ground, Carrier managed to get a shot on goal that bounced off Luke Evangelista and in at 17:22. Vegas responded well, with Saros forced to work hard, but Kaedan Korczak high-sticked Denis Gurianov in the face, putting them shorthanded again and giving the Preds another chance to close the gap.
However, Colton Sissons was then called for tripping, and Stone completed his hat trick in the four-on-four. 24 seconds remained in the second period. Forsberg had a buzzer-beating chance, but Vegas goalie Logan Thompson had the save.
Nashville got yet another power play six minutes into the third, breaking up still more Vegas pressure, as Sissons drew a tripping penalty from Zach Whitecloud. Despite some good looks, including a couple of valiant chances from Gustav Nyquist–who’s had a great game–, the Preds were unable to score with the skater advantage.
The Golden Knights went back on the attack, pressing hard and preventing the Preds from getting any kind of push to equalize going. With 3:27, Andrew Brunette pulled Saros for the extra skater. The Preds were unable to score, Jonathan Marchessault scored into the empty net, and the game ended.