LAS VEGAS — The Las Vegas Golden Knights’ sixth home opener was won by two players appearing in their first.
The Knights — in between the usual pageantry that involved a gold carpet arrival for players, the Blue Man Group releasing streamers during TV timeouts and “Jackass” star Steve-O racing two fans in inflatable dragon costumes in the second intermission — couldn’t separate from a scrappy Chicago team Thursday at T-Mobile Arena.
Rookies Paul Cotter and Logan Thompson were the ones that got the job done.
Cotter scored 8:44 into the second period and Thompson made 26 saves for his second career shutout as the Knights won 1-0 to improve to 2-0 in front of an announced crowd of 18,467. It’s the team’s fourth 2-0 start in six years.
The Blackhawks, who were coming off a 5-2 loss to Colorado on Wednesday, fought hard behind a 36-save performance from goaltender Alex Stalock. Cotter’s and Thompson’s heroics ensured Chicago fell to 0-2.
Here are three more takeaways from the win:
1. New No. 1
So many of the Knights’ hopes are pinned on Thompson, who made his 22nd NHL appearance Tuesday.
He keeps justifying the team’s faith. The 25-year-old got the net for the home opener after stopping 27 of the 30 shots he faced in Tuesday’s win in Los Angeles.
He was even better Thursday.
“Overall, I’m really happy with myself,” Thompson said. “I did my job tonight. It’s not every night we’re going to put four goals up. It’s big when you can win games like that, especially early in the season.”
Thompson’s athleticism stood out on several saves he had to make sliding across his crease against Chicago. He was a major part of the Knights’ 2-for-2 performance on the penalty kill, denying all six shots the Blackhawks put on goal on the man advantage.
Thompson even remained unfazed despite taking some hits. He was bumped hard by right wing Colin Blackwell on a drive to the net in the first period and drew a goaltender interference penalty from center Sam Lafferty in the second, but he kept patrolling his crease with confidence.
2. Hat trick
Cotter’s fashion sense turned heads before his play did during the game.
The 22-year-old sported a fedora walking up to T-Mobile Arena, the same look he sported in his NHL debut Nov. 9 last season against Seattle. It brought him luck again.
Cotter’s goal continued his impressive run of form since the start of training camp. He made the opening-night roster for the first time after a strong preseason, cracked the lineup Tuesday and earned a promotion to the third line against Chicago.
Then, midway through the game, Cotter got a 2-on-1 with left wing Reilly Smith after leaving the penalty box when his hooking minor expired. He looked multiple times at Smith to see if he could feather a pass across before ripping a no-look shot past Stalock.
“It is cool. I’m just happy the first one is out of the way,” Cotter said. “Normally that takes awhile for a lot of people. The monkey is off my back, and I’m good.”
The goal was Cotter’s third in eight NHL games. If his outfit didn’t make him stand out enough, his hot streak certainly should.
3. Lineup changes
Two Knights made their season debuts against Chicago.
Left wing William Carrier took his normal spot on the fourth line after missing most of camp with a mid-body injury he suffered in the first preseason game. Right wing Michael Amadio was a healthy scratch as a result, with Cotter moving up to take his place.
Carrier finished with two shots on goal in 9:52 of ice time.
Defenseman Nic Hague also jumped in the lineup two days after re-joining the Knights. Hague signed a three-year extension Monday and hopped on a late-night flight to meet the team in Los Angeles the same day.
He didn’t get much practice time to learn coach Bruce Cassidy’s new defensive system, but he reviewed video clips from assistant coach John Stevens and picked his teammates’ brains while he was away to stay up to speed.
The 23-year-old’s return made defenseman Ben Hutton a healthy scratch. Hague had two shots on goal and was a plus-1 in his first game.
