LAS VEGAS (AP) — Alexander Holtz and Shea Theodore scored in a 1:05 span late in the second period and the Vegas Golden Knights had two more two-goal sprees to rout the Nashville Predators 7-1 on Saturday night for their seventh straight victory.
Pavel Dorofeyev and captain Mark Stone added goals in a three-minute span in the third, with Dorofeyev scoring his 20th of the season and Stone getting his 10th goal in 11 games and 18th of the season. Stone has a career-best 11-game points streak.
Cole Reinhardt and Mitch Marner scored two more goals in quick succession, striking in a 50-second span, and Keegan Kolesar capped the five-goal third. Akira Schmid made 26 saves.
Luke Evangelista and Filip Forsberg scored for Nashville, and Justus Annunen stopped 29 shots. The Predators had won three straight, the last a 7-3 victory at Colorado on Friday night
Holtz tied it at 1 with 2:43 left in the second period. Off Theodore's feed, Holtz one-timed a slap shot that deflected off Nashville's Fedor Svechkov. Theodore — playing his 600th NHL game — scored on Vegas' next shot, firing a snapper through a crowd with 1:38 to go.
Dorofeyev scored on a break off a pass from Mitch Marner at 5:52. Stone scored on another break at 8:52, with Eichel setting it up. Reinhardt struck with 7:34 to go, Marner with 6:44 left, and Kolesar with 4:48 remaining.
Forsberg scored on a power play for Nashville in the final minute. Evangelista opened the scoring with 5:50 left in the first period.
Jonathan Marchessault, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the playoff MVP in Vegas' 2023 championship, was activated by Nashville on Saturday after missing 14 games because of a lower-body injury. He's in his second season with the Predators after seven with Vegas.
Up next
Predators: Host Buffalo on Tuesday night.
Golden Knights: Host Philadelphia on Monday night.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
-
Vegas Golden Knights fans still fired up after Western Conference Finals sweep
Vegas Golden Knights are soaking in the Western Conference Finals sweep, flocking to local stores to stock up on Stanley Cup Final merchandise.
Late hire Tortorella has Vegas in Stanley Cup Final, poised to join elite group
The late-season move by the Golden Knights to fire coach Bruce Cassidy and bring on John Tortorella might have seemed to be out of desperation on the surface. It comes with a history of some success.
Fans celebrate as Vegas Golden Knights sweep Western Conference Finals, head for the Stanley Cup
As the Golden Knights wait to find out who they'll play next, fans are already celebrating. Cheers rang out through Toshiba Plaza. Sports Reporter Alex Eschelman shows us why they believe this is the Knights's year to bring the cup back to Vegas.
Golden Knights sweep Avalanche to advance to 3rd Stanley Cup Final in 9 seasons
The Golden Knights will get a break while they watch to see whether Carolina or Montreal emerges from the Eastern Conference Final.
