John Locher / AP
Vegas Golden Knights left wing Max Pacioretty, center, celebrates after Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone (61) scored against Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson (36) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019, in Las Vegas.
Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019 | 5:09 p.m.
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There has never been a season in Reilly Smith’s nine-year career where he has scored at the rate that he has this season. Only once in Jonathan Marchessault’s career has he exceeded his current pace.
Smith scored once and Marchessault scored twice in Tuesday’s 5-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks at T-Mobile Arena. Those two wingers, along with center William Karlsson, have been the Golden Knights’ life force for three years now, helping them pull away from the Ducks on New Year’s Eve.
“No line is ever going to be perfect, but they’ve been really, really close to it lately,” forward Alex Tuch said. “As long as they keep that up, I feel we’re going to keep winning games.”
Smith was Vegas’ highest scoring forward the first few weeks of the season, netting two on opening night and seven in the team’s first 11 games. He cooled off for a bit, but his sweet backhander on Tuesday was his 15th of the season. That’s a pace of 28.6 for the season, which would break his career-best of 25 set in 2015-16. He had 22 in his first year in Vegas and 19 the next.
Smith has always been a pass-first player. He’s never finished a season with more goals than assists, and even after starting the season with seven goals to one assist, he has 18 assists now to exceed his goal output.
“You always beg Reilly to shoot the puck more because he wants to pass it all the time,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “He looks a little bit more confident and he’s putting a little bit more pucks to the net.”
Then there’s Marchessault, who has never had an issue shooting the puck. He led the team in shots on goal both of the first two seasons and is second to Max Pacioretty this season. He was also someone who was slow to get going with just two tallies in the first 14 games of the year.
Lately though, everything is working for Marchessault, who has 10 goals in his last 14 games after two against the Ducks. One was a penalty shot, where he pulled the puck to his right, hesitated and ripped it into the net. The other was an empty-netter from his own zone.
No matter how the puck is going in, he’s pleased. He, like Smith, has 15 goals this season, a pace that would be the second-best of his career and best in his three years with the Golden Knights.
“With our line, it’s just one night it’s going to be one, one night’s going to be the other,” Marchessault said. “We’re just trying to play defensively and let the offense come to us. That’s what we’re doing right now and we’re just getting a little bit more rewarded.”
Vegas dominated possession in a way it has seldom done in the first period, out-attempting the Ducks 31-10, out-chancing them 18-4 and leading in high-danger chances 12-2 at even strength, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Anaheim goalie John Gibson was tremendous, but a Mark Stone goal and an own-goal from an Anaheim defenseman put the Golden Knights up 2-1 after a period.
“It was a dangerous game because we were losing 1-0 and we probably should have been up 3-0,” Gallant said. “I think we were in control most of the game.”
The floodgates opened eventually, thanks to Vegas’ top line. At 5-on-5 with Marchessault, Karlsson and Smith on the ice, the Golden Knights generated 77.3% of the shot attempts, 83.3% of the scoring chances and had six high-danger chances without allowing one. They were rewarded with a trio of goals.
A lot of the focus has been on the stellar play of Pacioretty and Stone, who each had a point Tuesday to maintain their 1-2 edge in the team scoring lead. But when Marchessault, Karlsson and Smith get going the team is hard to stop, and the Ducks witnessed that first-hand.
“They have ways to really find each other out there and defensively they do it all,” defenseman Shea Theodore said. “Night in and night out they’re shutting top lines down and they’re pitching in offensively. I’m not sure what more you’d want out of a line like that.”
Justin Emerson can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Justin on Twitter at twitter.com/@j15emerson.
