In an electric showdown in Las Vegas, the Vegas Golden Knights commenced their defense of the Stanley Cup title with a decisive 4-1 win against the Seattle Kraken. Adin Hill delivered a stellar performance with 32 saves out of 33 shots, while Chandler Stephenson shone with a goal and an assist.
The atmosphere was electric at the T-Mobile Arena as the Golden Knights unveiled their inaugural Stanley Cup banner, emerging dramatically from an oversized slot machine on the ice.
The lone goal for Seattle came from Jared McCann. The team will be continuing their season opener with a three-game road trip, with their next stop being Nashville. Seattle’s goalkeeper, Philipp Grubauer, managed to secure 24 saves.
Stephenson gave Vegas a lead with the season’s very first shot, a brilliant execution of Brett Howden’s pass. A misstep by Kraken’s Brandon Tanev saw the puck deflecting off Jonathan Marchessault’s stick, doubling the lead for Vegas. Notably, this marks Marchessault’s fourth consecutive year scoring in the season’s opening game for the Knights. Ivan Barbashev added to the excitement, bringing the score to 3-0 with a remarkable slap shot in the second period.
Seattle attempted a comeback with McCann’s quick wrist shot, bringing the score to 3-1. However, a major penalty against Howden saw no change in the score, with Hill successfully deflecting six shots during the power play. The final touch to the game was given by Jack Eichel’s empty-net goal, cementing the Golden Knights’ victory.