Kraken lose to Golden Knights, out of playoff contention in first season

SEATTLE -- The Seattle Kraken were eliminated from playoff contention in their inaugural NHL season with a 3-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at Climate Pledge Arena on Wednesday.

Logan Thompson made 22 saves for his first NHL shutout for the Golden Knights (37-28-4), who ended a seven-game road losing streak.
"I think it's getting better every day," Thompson said. "I feel really comfortable in net and it's just something I want to keep building off. The guys in front of me did a really good job and they deserve a lot of credit."

Vegas moved one point ahead of the Dallas Stars for the second wild card from the Western Conference.
The Golden Knights started with 11 forwards in the lineup but lost Keegan Kolesar to injury late in the first period. Defenseman Dylan Coghlan played forward the rest of the game.
"We're playing a guy short and Kolesar comes out in the first," Vegas coach Pete DeBoer said. "It feels like we haven't been able to get into a four-line rhythm because we will be short a body or two every night, but I thought we dug deep. I didn't like our first period. They came out with a little more fire. I thought [Logan Thompson] made some big saves in the first that allowed us to recognize that this was going to be a harder game than we thought."
Chris Driedger made 27 saves in his second straight start for the Kraken (21-40-6), who had won three of four.
"The second period is the difference in this hockey game," Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. "It wasn't a shorthanded goal, but it was a turnover and we're right at the end of our power play. A couple of things that need to happen differently there to make sure that doesn't happen. … We didn't take care of the puck, so turnovers lead to transition, and transition is offense for them. It also led to a lot of O-zone time for them for some of their good players, and when they're in the O-zone, they got inside us."
Shea Theodore gave Vegas a 1-0 lead at 7:38 of the second period. After serving a high-sticking penalty, Theodore stepped out of the penalty box behind the Seattle defense. Jonas Rondbjerg intercepted a pass from Seattle forward Victor Rask and got the puck up to Theodore, who scored on a backhand over Driedger's glove side.
"Big, big goal," DeBoer said. "I think you guys have seen the first goal is a difference-maker for our group. Early in the season we were getting it all the time. We went through a stretch when we didn't get it at all and we're playing from behind every night. But it's tough for our group because we're not scoring easily, so a big goal for us."

Michael Amadio made it 2-0 at 7:03 of the third period on a scramble in front of the net when his shot slid through Driedger's legs and off defenseman Adam Larsson's skate. It was his second goal in three games.
Jordan Eberle appeared to cut the lead to 2-1 at 17:52 with a 6-on-5 goal. The Golden Knights challenged for offside, and a video review determined Eberle preceded the puck into the offensive zone and the goal was overturned.
"We can be better," Hakstol said. "We had some guys tonight that will look at their games and want to be a little bit better, handle situations a little bit better. We had some really good efforts, we gave ourselves a chance to be in the heart of that game midway through. I believe the first goal of the game tonight was going to be a big one and a very important one. Our reaction to that goal against, if you're looking at the next 10 minutes of the hockey game, we can be a little bit better there."
Jonathan Marchessault scored into an empty net at 19:33 for the 3-0 final.
NOTES:Thompson has played 12 NHL games. … Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb was plus-2 with four hits and three blocked shots in 19:17 after missing 13 games with an upper-body injury. … Vegas forward Evgenii Dadonov had his four-game goal streak end (five goals) in his 400th NHL game. … Marchessault has scored seven points (one goal, six assists) in the past three games. … Seattle forward Daniel Sprong, acquired in a trade with the Washington Capitals on March 21, had his three-game goal streak end. … The Golden Knights and the Kraken will play again at Climate Pledge Arena on Friday.