Mason McTavish scored Anaheim's first goal of the season, but the Ducks could not complete a third-period comeback tonight in a 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena.
NHL GAMECENTER | DUCKS STREAM | PHOTO GALLERY
The loss, only Anaheim's second season-opening defeat in the last six seasons, drops the club to 0-1-0 to start the 2023-24 campaign. The Ducks will host the club's 30th Anniversary season home opener tomorrow against Carolina at Honda Center.
McTavish scored the lone goal for the Ducks, bringing Anaheim within two midway through the third period. Jamie Drysdale and Ryan Strome collected assists.
Making his eighth consecutive opening night start for the Ducks, John Gibson turned aside 34-of-38 Vegas shots.
Rookie defenseman Pavel Mintyukov, the tenth overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft, made his NHL debut for the Ducks in the setback, totalling one shot, one hit and three blocked shots in over 18 minutes of ice-time.
Jack Eichel, Chandler Stephenson, Shea Thedore and Jonas Rondbjerg scored for the Golden Knights, who improved to 3-0-0. Adin Hill earned his second win of the season with 22 saves.
The first period was scoreless for all but one second, as Eichel beat the buzzer for Vegas to give the hosts a 1-0 lead at intermission.
With Sam Carrick serving a five-minute major penalty for a hit on a stumbling Brayden McNab, Eichel beat the Ducks defense with speed down left wing, cutting in and tucking a forehand shot around Gibson from in tight.
Eichel has three points in as many games to open the regular season (2-1=3). The former second overall pick led the Knights with 66 points in 67 games last season.
Carrick squared off with Vegas winger Keegan Kolesar in a second-period fight.
Anaheim came inches from tying the game in the middle frame on multiple occasions, but would pay for those close calls not coming to fruition later in the period as Stephenson converted a backdoor pass from Paul Cotter on an odd-man rush to put Vegas up 2-0.
Stephenson set career highs in points (65) and assists (49) last season.
Theodore temporarily gave Vegas a three-goal cushion early in the third with another power-play goal, converting a one-timer from Eichel over Gibson's glove hand.
The 3-0 lead lasted less than half a minute though, as McTavish put Anaheim on the board with a second-chance opportunity, cashing in a rebound off Drysdale's shot from the right point.
