The Vegas Golden Knights captured the Pacific Division championship Wednesday night following a dramatic comeback victory against the Seattle Kraken, winning 4-1 at home in Las Vegas.
Reilly Smith powered the Golden Knights’ surge with a pair of third-period goals while also contributing an assist during Vegas’ explosive final frame that featured three unanswered scores. This marked Smith’s 31st career multi-goal performance and his second this season.
Jack Eichel contributed two assists while Shea Theodore and Mitch Marner each found the back of the net for Vegas (39-26-17, 95 points). The Golden Knights will now face the Utah Mammoth when the Stanley Cup playoffs begin.
Goaltender Carter Hart turned away 22 shots for Vegas, helping the team stretch their point streak to a season-best 10 games (7-0-3). This division title represents the third for the franchise in four years and their sixth in nine seasons. The Golden Knights have posted an impressive 7-0-1 record since John Tortorella took over behind the bench, replacing Bruce Cassidy.
Shane Wright provided Seattle’s lone scoring for the Kraken (34-36-11, 79 points), who have struggled recently with a 2-7-1 mark over their last 10 contests. Nikke Kokko registered 22 saves for Seattle, which will wrap up their season Thursday night in Colorado.
Stars 4, Sabres 3 (SO)
Wyatt Johnston netted the decisive shootout goal as Dallas claimed victory in Buffalo.
Esa Lindell and Justin Hryckowian each recorded one goal and one assist for the Stars, who closed the regular season with five consecutive victories. Mavrik Bourque reached the 20-goal milestone while Jake Oettinger turned aside 21 shots.
Zach Benson tallied a goal and assist for Buffalo, whose four-game win streak came to an end. Josh Norris and Alex Tuch also scored in regulation for the Sabres. Owen Power registered two assists and Colten Ellis made 25 saves.
Senators 3, Maple Leafs 1
Drake Batherson and Warren Foegele both converted power-play opportunities as Ottawa defeated Toronto at home in the regular-season finale for both clubs.
Dylan Cozens sealed the victory with an empty-net goal for the Senators, while Claude Giroux added two assists. Former Toronto netminder James Reimer made 19 saves for Ottawa, which took the season series against the Maple Leafs 3-1-0.
William Nylander scored Toronto’s only goal in a contest that lacked the typical intensity of a Battle of Ontario matchup. Dennis Hildeby stopped 35 shots for the Maple Leafs.
Panthers 8, Red Wings 1
Mike Benning celebrated his first two NHL goals while Wilmer Skoog recorded his first two assists in just his third game as Florida demolished Detroit 8-1 in Sunrise, Florida. Mikulas Hovorka also earned his first NHL point in his fourth appearance.
Luke Kunin contributed two goals and an assist, Cole Reinhardt added a goal and assist, Matthew Tkachuk and Marek Alscher each provided two assists, and Daniil Tarasov made 24 saves for the Panthers.
Justin Faulk scored Detroit’s only goal as the Red Wings finished their final 10 games with a disappointing 2-6-2 record. Cam Talbot relieved John Gibson, who allowed four goals on 11 shots before leaving in the second period after taking a puck to the face.
Rangers 4, Lightning 2
Tye Kartye scored twice in a three-point performance as visiting New York concluded their season with a victory over playoff-bound Tampa Bay.
Mika Zibanejad scored on the power play and added an assist, Gabe Perreault found the net, and J.T. Miller distributed two assists. Goaltender Dylan Garand stopped 29 shots to improve his record to 2-0-1.
Oliver Bjorkstrand and Corey Perry scored for Tampa Bay. Brandon Halverson made 17 saves in his second appearance this season.
Blackhawks 5, Sharks 2
Louis Crevier scored twice in the third period as Chicago rallied from a deficit with five straight goals to defeat visiting San Jose in their season finale.
Sam Rinzel, Ryan Greene and Nick Lardis also scored for the Blackhawks, Connor Bedard contributed two assists, and Spencer Knight made 15 saves. Chicago had previously lost four straight and nine of their last 10 games (1-8-1).
Mario Ferraro and Michael Misa scored for San Jose, Kiefer Sherwood had two assists, and Yaroslav Askarov made 19 saves while also stopping a penalty shot. The Sharks have lost four of their last five games (1-3-1) heading into Thursday’s finale at Winnipeg.
