It's not like the Ducks didn't have their chances, though. They peppered Marc-Andre Fleury with a flurry of shots in close quarters on a power play in the second period, but the veteran netminder showed why he was a three-time Stanley Cup champion by keeping the puck on the right side of the goal line.
On paper, John Gibson was credited with nine saves on 12 shots, but one of Vegas' goals came off the stick of his own teammate - Adam Henrique - who tried to swat the puck out of the crease. It was that kind of night for the Ducks, who fell to 8-9-3 overall and 3-6-0 on the road.
This was a bounce back performance for the Golden Knights, propelled by a two-goal performance from Cody Eakin. The victory snapped a two-game losing streak and improved their record to 8-10-1. Alex Tuch, Nick Holden and Tomas Hyka also scored for the Golden Knights, who displayed their trademark speed and high-powered offense throughout the game.
They opened the scoring with 2:18 remaining in the first period when Tuch buried a loose puck in the slot on the power play. It marked Tuch's fifth goal and 10th point of the season, and gave Max Pacioretty his first assist as a member of the Golden Knights.
Vegas doubled its lead just 25 seconds into the second period when Eakin converted on a 2-on-1 rush with Tuch, unloading a one timer from the right faceoff dot for his sixth goal of the season.
An unfortunate own-goal resulted in Vegas taking a 3-0 lead when Henrique inadvertently smacked a puck into his own net on a clearing attempt. The goal was credited to defenseman Holden. It marked the end of the night for Gibson, who finished with 27:11 total time. Ryan Miller came on in relief and finished the game.
Eakin scored his second goal of the night to make it 4-0 midway through the middle frame when he roofed a backhander over Miller's shoulder for a shorthanded marker. It came just moments after the Ducks had multiple point-blank chances on Fleury.
Hyka made it 5-0 when he pounced on a loose puck in the slot after Tomas Nosek skated in on Miller.
The Ducks will return to Orange County and open a four-game homestand beginning Friday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Fowler Update
Defenseman Cam Fowler was struck in the face with a puck on Monday night vs. Nashville. A CT scan revealed a complex right facial fracture involving the orbital bone, cheekbone and upper jaw bone. Fowler will have surgery Friday, after which his expected absence will be known and announced.
Fowler has 10 points (3g/7a) and a +3 rating in 19 games this season, including his first career hat trick. Fowler became the seventh defenseman in NHL history to record three goals, including an overtime winner on November 4 vs. Columbus. The last three instances were accomplished by the Ducks (Lubomir Visnovsky on March 4, 2011 vs. Dallas and Hampus Lindholm on Dec. 21, 2017 at the New York Islanders).
Fowler also earned his 203rd career NHL assist on November 7 vs. Calgary to move within one shy of tying Scott Niedermayer (204) for the all-time franchise lead in assists among defensemen.
