Frank Vatrano scored a hat trick and Lukas Dostal stopped 32 of 33 shots as the Anaheim Ducks handed the Vegas Golden Knights a 4-1 loss in the regular-season finale for both teams on Thursday night in Las Vegas.
The Golden Knights’ defeat, coupled with the Los Angeles Kings’ 5-4 overtime victory against the Chicago Blackhawks, dropped Vegas down to the second Western Conference wild card. Vegas will open the playoffs against the top-seeded Dallas Stars.
It was the sixth career hat trick and third of the season for Vatrano, who finished with a team-leading 37 goals, including seven in the final five games.
Jackson LaCombe had a goal and an assist and Ryan Strome added two assists for Anaheim (27-50-5, 59 points), which won its team-record third straight game against the Golden Knights.
Jack Eichel scored for Vegas (45-29-8, 98 points), which had a six-game home winning streak snapped. Adin Hill finished with 19 saves for the defending Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights.
Anaheim took a 1-0 lead at 4:25 of the second period on a power-play goal by Vatrano. He blasted a one-timer from the top of the right circle that hit the bottom of Hill’s glove and caromed into the net.
Vegas tied it 1-1 at 18:47 of the middle period on a power-play goal by Eichel. He fired a wrist shot from the top of the left circle that deflected off the stick of Anaheim’s Isac Lundestrom and into the top right corner for his 31st goal. It was Eichel’s team-leading 11th power-play goal of the season.
Anaheim then took a 3-1 lead with two goals in the span of 29 seconds to start the third period.
LaCombe got the first 51 seconds into the period when he snapped a wrist shot from the left circle under Hill’s right arm for his second goal. Hobey Baker Award finalist Cutter Gauthier, making his NHL debut, picked up the primary assist for his first NHL point.
Vatrano followed by snapping a wrist shot from the left circle over Hill’s left shoulder at 1:20.
Anaheim’s Troy Terry picked up a hooking penalty with 2:04 remaining and the Golden Knights pulled Hill for a six-on-four advantage, but Vatrano sealed the win with an empty-netter with 14.1 seconds left.
–Field Level Media
