SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) – It was just an NHL preseason, but the sold-out crowd at Vivint Arena made it seem like a lot more.
The LA Kings defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 3-1 in front of the crowd in the Vivint Arena.
This was the third NHL preseason game at the Vivint Arena since 2018 and the first of three games known as “Frozen Fury” that will be played between the two teams over the next three years.
The Kings will be the designated home team for the games, mainly due to the fact that team president Luc Robitaille is based in the Hebertal area.
It was the hosts, however, who gave their fans more reason to cheer tonight as LA clashed in all three periods with perhaps the most complete performance of the three exhibition games they have played to date.
“There was a little more season feel here tonight than in any other setting with fans who don’t see us that often,” said Brenden Lemieux, who scored the first goal of the game for the Kings. “Great environment for us overall.”
When Vegas had chances without the one goal they scored, Garret Sparks was there. Sparks was impressive between the pipes when he first started in a Kings sweater, with some pretty good looking saves, especially in the first 20 minutes of the game. The Illinois native finished with 20 saves from 21 shots and a perfect 3-of-3 in the shootout.
Vivint Arena hosts preseason game between the LA Kings and the Vegas Golden Knights
The Kings scored the only goal of the inaugural period when Brendan Lemieux opened his preseason account less than two minutes into the game. Austin Strand’s shot from the right was stopped by Vegas goalkeeper Robin Lehner, but Lemieux crashed the net, deflected the rebound onto his forehand and shot home for an early advantage.
“The preseason definitely has a less physical aspect, but I try to bring my game in every time I play,” said Lemieux. “Sometimes it comes naturally, sometimes it’s more forced, but tonight it was a great crowd and it was a fun environment to play in.”
Also in the second third there was only one goal, again an early record of the kings. Striker Gabe Vilardi led a 2v1 rush with Lias Andersson, with the former feeding the latter through the slot from right to left. Andersson took the puck into the net, deked on his forehand and pushed it smoothly past Lehner. The goal was Andersson’s second in as many games during the preseason so far.
The Golden Knights hit the board less than five minutes into the third period, a well-placed shot from defender Daniil Miromanov before the Kings returned fire with a powerplay goal just before half-time. A tic-tac-toe passing game that ended Arthur Kaliyev in front gave the Kings back their two-goal lead. Vilardi and Vladimir Tkachev each made excellent passes, with Quinton Byfield also getting a touch up front before Kaliyev swept home.
The regular NHL season begins October 12th.
Comments are closed.