Once the Vegas Golden Knights found their rhythm Tuesday night, Seattle had no answer for the wave coming at it.
Vegas rolled to a 6-2 win over the Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena, and the score line never really captured how quickly the game slipped away once the Golden Knights settled in. After a quiet opening stretch, they started stacking goals, special-teams chances and eventually a full-on scrum-heavy finish in a game that turned chippy long before the final horn.
The first breakthrough came after Vegas worked through an early offensive-zone grind. Rasmus Andersson put a shot toward the net, it changed direction off Victor Olofsson, and Joey Daccord was beaten for the game’s opening goal. Seattle coach Lane Lambert challenged for goaltender interference, but the call stood.
The Golden Knights didn’t cash in on that power play, but they didn’t need long to strike on the next one. After Brandon Montour was whistled for interference, Vegas needed just nine seconds to make it count. Jack Eichel fed Mark Stone behind the net, Stone sent it on to Tomas Hertl, and Hertl finished from close range.
The second period started the same way the first had ended: with Vegas grabbing control early and refusing to let go. Another quick penalty put the Golden Knights on the kill, but the sequence flipped in their favor when Montour’s stick broke on a slapshot. Eichel and Stone jumped on the loose situation, turned it into an odd-man rush, and Stone buried it while Montour slid and reached in vain to stop the play.
That goal cracked things open. Hertl kept driving the night forward by winning a puck battle behind the net and setting up Olofsson for his second goal. Then, in the final minute of the period, Eichel added his own tally after stripping Bobby McMann and finishing the breakaway, sending Vegas into the third up 5-0.
Seattle finally got on the board early in the third when Shane Wright beat Carter Hart just under five minutes in, but the mood shifted almost immediately after Olofsson was boarded by Ben Meyers. Meyers was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct, and Olofsson did not return.
“(Olofsson’s) getting evaluated now. We hope he’s going to be okay,” Golden Knights head coach Ryan Craig said.
Vegas made the most of the major. Hertl picked up his fourth point of the night with his second goal, and Eichel added another assist to keep his own huge night rolling.
That performance put Eichel in rare company. With four points, he became only the fourth player in NHL history to become the first player to hit the 10-point mark in consecutive seasons, joining Connor McDavid, Tyler Seguin and Wayne Gretzky.
“Just one of those nights, I guess,” Eichel said about his performance. “Some things went our way and you get a couple touches on things. Sometimes, the puck finds you and finds the back of the net.”
By then, the game had already tipped into chaos. Stone dropped the gloves with Montour, finishing off a Gordie Howe hat trick for the Vegas captain. Marc Gatcomb also got involved, fighting Ryan Winterton after the Kraken forward laid out Trevor Connelly with a hit.
“He was saying some things about our team I didn't like,” Stone said about what triggered his fight. “I'm not gonna fight too many 5-on-3s, but I just didn't like some of the things he was saying about the team."
Jared McCann later added what the game had left to offer, but by then the Golden Knights had already done the real damage and brought the night to a merciful close.
In Other News...
Victor Olofsson Gives Golden Knights Fans A New Reason To Worry
Victor Olofsson keeps showing why the Golden Knights brought him back, and why his start has already become one of the more intriguing early developments around the team. In Thursdays 6-2 win over the Seattle Kraken, he scored twice and now leads Vegas in goals through four games, a sharp opening for a player trying to settle back into a familiar setting after last seasons stops in Colorado and Calgary.
For a team that has leaned on depth and balance in the past, Olofssons quick finish has at least hinted at another layer to the offense. His early production has also revived the bigger conversation around whether this is a short burst or the beginning of a much more meaningful role, which is exactly the kind of question that can linger when a scorer gets hot this fast. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Big Win Came With A New Injury Concern
The Golden Knights left Seattle with another convincing road win, rolling past the Kraken 6-2 at Climate Pledge Arena and staying unbeaten in regulation at the building. Mark Stone helped power the night with the NHLs first Gordie Howe Hat Trick of the 2026-27 season, piling up two goals, an assist and a fight in a game that had plenty of edge for Vegas.
The mood shifted late when Kraken forward Ben Meyers boarded Victor Olofsson, leaving the Golden Knights with a fresh injury concern to monitor after an otherwise strong showing. Meyers was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct, and while Vegas kept control on the scoreboard, the bigger question coming out of the trip now centers on Olofssons status. [Read more 🡒]
Kraken Suddenly Face A Blue Line Concern After Physical Loss
Ryan Lindgrens night ended early after a hit from behind forced the Seattle defenseman out with an upper-body injury, adding another layer of concern to a Kraken group already trying to absorb the physical toll of a hard game. The sequence also left Vegas with its own injury issue, as forward Victor Olofsson was hurt after being boarded by a Seattle player, turning a chippy matchup into one with potential ripple effects for both clubs.
For a Golden Knights team that knows how quickly a lineup can be tested over the course of a road swing, the aftermath matters almost as much as the result. Seattle now has to sort through a blue line situation that was already under pressure, while the broader injury picture across the teams involved could shape how both sides approach their next games. [Read more 🡒]