Hertl breaks tie in 3rd, Golden Knights edge Ducks

LAS VEGAS -- Tomas Hertl scored the go-ahead goal at 5:18 of the third period for the Vegas Golden Knights in a 3-1 victory against the Anaheim Ducks at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday.

Hertl made it 2-1 with a one-timer in front off a short centering pass from Mark Stone on the power play.

“Over the years, I’ve played a lot of net front and bumper,” Hertl said. “We’ve been getting good looks. The power play is important. ... It was nice to score a goal on the power play, but we need to keep pushing because the special teams wins the games.”

Brett Howden and Pavel Dorofeyev also scored, and Ilya Samsonov made 22 saves in his debut with Vegas (3-0-0). Keegan Kolesar had two assists.

“We didn’t execute as well offensively as we have, but we executed well enough to win the hockey game,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “[Samsonov] looked composed in there. First game, you never know how it’s going to work out with the 'D' communicating. The puck play was clean, if I recall. I liked his game. He wasn’t overly busy, but there were saves to be made.”

Troy Terry scored, and James Reimer made 29 saves in his debut with Anaheim (1-1-0), which was coming off a 2-0 win at the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.

“We played a lot better,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said. “The first period was terrific. That’s the way we are supposed to play. In the second period, we kept turning pucks over. Over and over again. When that happens, you end up defending most of the period. Then you get tired legs. Then you can’t really counterattack. We got caught in that spin cycle the whole second period.”

Howden gave the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead at 6:17 of the first period, tapping in a rebound in the crease. The play started after Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler gave the puck away to Kolesar in front.

“[Howden] and Kolesar have been the two guys who are at the top of their pace,” Cassidy said. “Brett’s getting his chances offensively around the front of the net. He finished one tonight."

Terry tied the game 1-1 at 11:49 of the first, scoring glove side on a breakaway.

“We made plays when we were there,” Terry said. “We just forechecked hard. There’s a lot of things we can clean up, but playing in Vegas on a back-to-back ... it was a gutsy effort. Guys worked hard. It’s just the differences. They scored a power-play goal. We didn’t. Just the things that make them a Stanley Cup contender. Those are some of the little things that are part of maturing.”

Following Hertl's goal, Dorofeyev made it 3-1 at 14:09 of the third period. He roofed a shot from the right circle after Kolesar stole the puck in the offensive zone.

“Kolesar has been on top of people," Cassidy said. "He’s strong once he gets in where he is and is creating off the forecheck. He made a concerted effort in that area of the game.”

NOTES: The Golden Knights improved to 3-0-0 for the third consecutive season and for the fifth time in their history. They are the fourth team in NHL history to have a season-opening winning streak of at least three games in three consecutive seasons. The others: the Sharks (four times from 2012-13 to 2015-16), the Minnesota Wild (three times from 2006-07 to 2008-09), and the Chicago Blackhawks (three times from 1970-71 to 1972-73). ... Golden Knights forward Jack Eichelhad the secondary assist on Hertl's goal. It was his seventh point (one goal, six assists), the most through three games in a season in Vegas history.