- Leo Carlsson scored and set up the opener in his first game since the Ducks matched the Flyers offer sheet
- Anaheim built a 4-0 lead in Vegas, then had to survive three Golden Knights goals in the third
- Read below for video of Carlsson’s goal and the full highlights from T-Mobile Arena
Leo Carlsson’s first game on the big contract went about as well as the Ducks could have hoped.
The 21-year-old center had a goal and an assist Friday night as Anaheim opened its season with a 4-3 win over the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. He was named the game’s first star.
Carlsson’s goal made it 4-0 at 7:03 of the second period. Carter Hart stopped an A.J. Greer shot but got caught out of position, and Carlsson tapped the rebound into an open net. Watch Carlsson’s goal:
That was his first game since this summer’s offer sheet saga. Philadelphia signed him to a five-year, $90 million sheet on July 3, and Anaheim matched it six days later. The $18 million cap hit makes him the highest-paid player in the league, and he wrote Ducks fans a letter earlier this week about why he signed it.
His night started with a helper. Shortly after a Vegas power play ended, Carlsson sent Beckett Sennecke in alone, and Sennecke beat Hart with eight seconds left in the first. Check out the setup:
Alex Killorn and Jeff Malott scored 55 seconds apart early in the second. Noah Warren picked up the primary assist on Killorn’s tip, his first NHL point in his first NHL game.
Vegas made it interesting late. Shea Theodore scored at 4:38 of the third, and the goal stood after Anaheim challenged for offside. Tomas Hertl cashed in on the power play 89 seconds later, and Braedan Bowman pulled the Knights within one at 17:10.
Lukas Dostal shut the door from there and finished with 27 saves. Jack Eichel had two assists for Vegas, which dropped to 1-1-0 after beating Chicago on Tuesday.
Here’s the full NHL highlight package:
The win carries a little extra weight for Anaheim. Vegas knocked the Ducks out in six games in the second round last spring, closing it out with a 5-1 win in a series that ended with John Tortorella skipping the handshake line.
One goal, one assist and 17:43 of ice time. That’s a solid first look for Carlsson at the team that ended Anaheim’s season.
