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Stone’s Third-Period Hat Trick Lifts Golden Knights Past Flames, Atop NHL Standings
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- Stone’s Third-Period Hat Trick Lifts Golden Knights Past Flames, Atop NHL Standings
(Christopher Trim-Imagn Images)
LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights started fast Thursday night. Their captain made sure they finished with a flourish.
Mark Stonescored three times in the third period as the Golden Knights defeated the Calgary Flames 6-2 at T-Mobile Arena, improving their home record against the Pacific Division rival to 14-2-0.
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Brett Howdenopened the scoring just 25 seconds into the game, Jack Eicheladded a shorthanded goal and Braeden Bowmancontributed a power-play tally as Vegas improved to 7-2-0. The Golden Knights' fifth win in six games gave them 14 points and put them atop the NHL standings.
"I like playing hockey. I like playing in this league. I like scoring goals. So sure, why not?" Stone said when asked about the satisfaction of another hat trick. "I like winning, and we won."
Calgary, which arrived after snapping a season-opening five-game losing streak Tuesday at Anaheim, fell to 1-6-0.
The Golden Knights wasted little time disrupting whatever confidence the Flames brought from that breakthrough.
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Mitch Marnerset up Howden's opening goal, extending his assist streak to five games and immediately putting Calgary in chase mode.
"I thought more than the goal, I thought we just played the right way," Bowman said. "I thought we got after their D and hunted them a little bit, and that usually turns out successful for us."
Eichel doubled the lead with an unassisted shorthanded goal later in the opening period, sending Vegas into the first intermission ahead 2-0.
Calgary briefly tightened the game in the second when defenseman Jacob Middletonscored shorthanded, cutting the Golden Knights' lead to one.
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Bowman answered on the power play, restoring the two-goal cushion with assists from Ivan Barbashevand William Karlsson.
"They got one there in the PK and thought we did a good job getting back out and getting right back at it," Bowman said.
Stone pointed to that response as one of the sequences that mattered more than the final margin suggested. Calgary had a chance to build momentum, but Vegas' second power-play unit quickly erased it.
Then Stone took over.
The captain scored 1:06 into the final period to extend the lead to 4-1, then struck again at 12:10. He completed his hat trick at 16:13, with Eichel and Marner collecting the assists.
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Matt Coronatoscored for Calgary with 1:20 remaining, assisted by Morgan Frostand Matvei Gridin, to complete the scoring.
Barbashev credited his linemates' intelligence and execution for making the game easier around them.
"Just the way they played today, five versus five, was outstanding," Barbashev said.
Stone supplied all of Vegas' offense over the final 20 minutes, turning a competitive game into a comfortable victory. The Golden Knights entered the night with a 9-4 scoring advantage in third periods and pushed that margin to 13-5.
Despite the result, Stone saw room for improvement, particularly with the power play's entries.
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"When we get possession in their end and move the puck around, we had some really, really good chances," Stone said. "But for whatever reason, our entries need to be cleaned up a bit. So we'll keep working on it."
Vegas improved its all-time record against Calgary to 20-9-2 after winning three of four meetings last season, including both home games.
KEY MOMENT: Bowman's Response
Bowman's power-play goal restored order after Calgary threatened to turn a strong Vegas start into a much tighter game. Middleton's shorthanded tally had trimmed the lead to 2-1, but Bowman answered with help from Barbashev and Karlsson. The response sent the Golden Knights into the second intermission with a two-goal cushion, setting the stage for Stone's three-goal third period.
KEY STAT: Marner's Five
Five consecutive games with an assist for Marner, whose setup on Howden's goal gave Vegas an advantage just 25 seconds into the opening period. He added another assist on Stone's hat-trick goal, giving him six during that five-game stretch. From helping establish the early lead to contributing to Vegas' final tally, Marner continued to provide consistent production.
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WHAT A KNIGHT: The Captain
Stone turned a two-goal lead into a runaway victory, scoring three in the third period. His first, just 1:06 after the intermission, immediately put Calgary further behind. His next two eliminated any remaining suspense, with Eichel and Marner combining to help him complete the hat trick. On a night when Vegas received contributions throughout its lineup, the captain delivered the defining performance.
UP NEXT
The Golden Knights host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT.
PHOTO CAPTION
Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) scores against Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf (32) in the first period at T-Mobile Arena.
