Golden Knights vs. Kings Game 2: Highlights, recap and more

The Vegas Golden Knights outlasted the Los Angeles Kings in double overtime on Friday night to take 2-0 series lead.

First period: Clock issues, Knights take the lead

The first five minutes of Game 2 between the Knights and Kings was slowed by clock issues at T-Mobile arena. The adrenaline that was present at the beginning of Game 1 for the Knights was diminished by two three-minute delays for the clock. Kyle Clifford took an interference penalty, the third such of the series levied against the Kings. Vegas didn’t take long to cash in on the power play, as Alex Tuch scored on a lively bounce off the back boards into a wide open net. Assists on the play went to Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith.

The first period of Game 2 would best be summed up by saying that both teams played well despite stoppages due to clock problems. The Kings looked much better than they did in Game 1. The shots were 12-4 in favor of the Golden Knights. Toward the end of the period, the Kings got a power play but were unable to capitalize.

Second period: Kings power-play goal gets them on the board

The second period of Game 2 saw the Knights continue to take more shots on goal than the Kings and the pressure led to two separate power plays in which the Knights were unable to score. The Kings seemed frustrated by the penalty calls and finally saw some power-play time. With about four minutes to go in the period, Paul LaDue scored the Kings’ first goal of the 2018 playoffs. assists on the goal were given to defenseman Dion Phaneuf and Michael Amadio. 

Shortly after the Kings goal, the Knights went back to work on the offensive end. Will Carrier just missed a loose puck in front of Quick, tipping it over the net late in the period and at the end of two it was all tied up with 20 minutes to play. The Kings seemed to have some positive feelings when exiting the ice, a look of hope that they might be able to steal a game that thus far had looked one-sided. The Kings, by nature a physical team, dominated the hits count 47-34, which was perhaps the only reason they were still in the game.

Third period: Kings get better

The pace of the third period was quick, and both teams saw chances with LA spending a lot more time in the Vegas end of the ice. Jeff Carter and Tanner Pearson were the most noticeable offensive standouts in the period and Marchessault was all over the ice and had several great opportunities. Late in the period, a flurry by the top line of Vegas had a scrum in front of Jonathan  Quick. At the end of the third, we did not have a victor, so it was off to overtime.

Overtime

Overtime started off like a prize-fight in the late rounds, with the teams feeling each other out. At the 9:07 mark, Jean Bellemere was called for a delay-of-game penalty, resulting in a two-minute power play for Los Angeles it couldn’t capitalize on. With 6:24 left in the first overtime, the shots sat at 45-25 Vegas.

Double overtime

After 14:43 of the second overtime, the Kings were officially playing the longest game in franchise history. At 14:50, they had their best chance, as Toffoli had a point-blank shot in the top of the slot that Fleury turned away. On the ensuing rush, Eric Haula made history again as he made a nifty move on Quick and ended the game. Assists were given to Theodore and Neal in what amounted to another historical moment, a win in Vegas’ first double overtime.