Kings fleeced on The Strip

On The Strip, Logan Thompson made 38 saves for the Golden Knights in a 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.

“The more reps I get, the more comfortable I get,” Thompson said. “I was able to get in the game early and I definitely just kept feeding off it. The guys in front were doing a great job. It definitely made my job easier.”

Alex Pietrangelo scored for the Knights, and Jack Eichel played after being doubtful for Vegas.

“We didn’t know until almost game time (that Eichel would be available),” Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said of the center. “But he gutted it out. He’s a guy who can play with some pain. That’s what he’s doing with a lot of other guys. It’s that time of year.

“I’ve been really impressed with him. His battle level. His will to compete. His willingness to play a 200-foot playoff-type game for us. Now, he’s willing to play through some injuries in order to be out there helping us.”

LA’s Phillip Danault was their only goal scorer.

“Little details I think was the big difference,” Danault said. “We played a decent game, but those mistakes we’ve got to make sure [aren’t] as big as the ones we gave up.”

The Golden Knights improved to 34-26-4.

Evgenii Dadonov  and Chandler Stephenson scored to give Vegas a 2-0 lead.

“I didn’t have to do anything, just put my stick there,” Stephenson said. “That’s the kind of player [Eichel] is. He’s an All-Star. You can be anywhere. Even if there are three guys, four guys in front of you, he seems to be finding you. His game seems to keep getting better and better.

“It’s fun to watch.”

The e Kings dropped to 34-22-8.

“It was constant pressure from [Danault and Moore on the play],” Kings coach Todd McLellan said. “Just when the opposition seems ready to break out several times, they’re out there again. It’s a pair to watch, especially for the younger players.”

Mattias Janmark scored off a shorthanded breakaway for a 3-1 Vegas lead.

“You want to inject your energy and spread it through the team,” Janmark said. “It’s what I’ve been trying to do the last two games.”

Pietrangelo scored to push the lead to 4-1, with an empty net goal with under three minutes left in the game.

Michael Amadio added a second empty-netter for the 5-1 final.

Cal Petersen made 19 saves in the LA loss.