Golden Knights clinch Pacific Division with win against Kraken

LAS VEGAS – The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Seattle Kraken 4-1 to clinch first place in the Pacific Division at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday.

“We were on top there for a while for a lot of the season,” Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb said. “Then we’re in third, flirting with a wild card. We found our game at the right time and won the division. That’s what we wanted to do, and we did it.”

Reilly Smith had two goals and an assist, and Shea Theodore and Mitch Marner scored for the Golden Knights (39-26-17), who finished the regular season with a 10-game point streak (7-0-3). Jack Eichel had two assists, and Carter Hart made 22 saves.

The Golden Knights improved to 7-0-1 under John Tortorella since he took over on March 29.

“We finished hard. We’ve been to our game ever since ‘Torts’ came in,” Theodore said. “Definitely revamped a couple of things, and obviously, we like where we’re at. The way we finished the season. That’s how you want to feel going into the playoffs. You want to be confident about your game. We had a lot of big goals down the stretch, a lot of big saves, and that’s how you want to play going into playoffs.”

The Golden Knights will play the Utah Mammoth in the Western Conference First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Utah secured the first wild-card spot on Tuesday.

Shane Wright scored, and Nikke Kokko made 22 saves for the Kraken (34-36-11), who are 2-7-1 in their past 10 games. The Kraken finish the season against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.

“I felt like the game turned on a couple of different reasons. We got a goal. Whether we started to sit back, or they turned up the physicality,” Seattle coach Lane Lambert said. “Then we started making stupid plays. Let’s not play a dumb game. Let’s play a smart game against a very good offensive hockey team. We’ve got to manage the puck. Our game management leaves a lot to be desired right now.” 

Wright gave Seattle a 1-0 lead 2:24 into the second period, scoring from in front after Jani Nyman’s pass from below the goal line deflected off Hart’s pad. Wright was playing for the first time since March 28, and he hadn’t scored since Feb. 4.

“It’s a tough time to come in, and it shows a lot of character for him to come back with two games that don’t mean much in the standings,” Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn said. “It all means something to us. We all have something to play for, but it’s nice for him to come back and to battle and to get one tonight.”

Theodore tied the game 1-1 at 17:35 when his wrist shot from the top of the left circle snuck underneath Kokko’s glove after Nic Dowd won the face-off draw.

Marner scored the go-ahead goal with a redirection in the high slot of McNabb’s shot from the point to make it 2-1 at 1:23 of the third period.

“The way we’ve been playing more and more consistently is the way we want to play,” Tortorella said. “It’s certainly nothing elaborate. It’s just about playing fast and it’s about playing forward. We want to be aggressive. We want to be up the ice. We want to take time and space in all three zones. It’s not a crazy formula by any means; it’s a mindset, and it’s hard. It’s a lot of hard work.”

Smith roofed a one-timer from Rasmus Andersson at 12:01 of the third period to extend the lead to 3-1. He added a second goal at 16:36 to push it to 4-1, tapping in a loose puck from the right of the crease with the extra attacker on for a delayed penalty.

“Personally, it’s nice (to score 16 goals this season),” Smith said. “Get home ice for the first couple rounds. I’m just happy to be able to help the team. … We have high expectations, and we try to live that every day. Through the organization, the players, everyone tries to live up to that level. Every day you’re at the rink, we don’t accept losing, and I think the last couple of weeks are a good testament to that.”

NOTES: Eichel closed the season with a four-game point streak (eight points; two goals, six assists). He became the 12th United States-born player to record consecutive 90-point seasons and the third active (Kyle Connor, Matthew Tkachuk). … Hart won his seventh straight start.