If you thought that Saturday's contest between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Anaheim Ducks was going to be a one-sided affair, well, I have some bad news for you. It was anything but as the contest had everything.
When the Golden Knights scored two goals, the Ducks scored two of their own. When the Golden Knights took a 3-2 lead, the Ducks responded with a second period goal on a 2-on-1 from Troy Terry. Vegas was trapped in a bizarre game that was fitting for a battle for Pacific Division supremacy.
It also had plenty of penalties, whether it was covering the puck with the hand or your standard hooking calls. In fact, it went into overtime... again. So, was this a different outcome from the last contest between the two teams?
Nope. In fact, it was their sixth straight overtime loss, marred by miscommunication in the extra period. Guess what the score was? 4-3. Cruel irony.
Jackson LaCombe scored a goal and an assist for the Ducks, while Olen Zelweger also added a goal and Cutter Gauthier notched the game-winner. The Golden Knights fell to 10-4-7, but got an additional point. The Ducks? They improved to 14-7-1 and have 29 points.
So what can we make of this colossal Pacific Division battle between the two heavyweights? Who was impressive for the Golden Knights? What was slightly underwhelming and needs to improve?
Jack Eichel continues to rack up the points for the Vegas Golden Knights
Remember when Jack Eichel entered Thursday's game against the Utah Mammoth with only five assists in November? Well, it seems like those times were a distant memory. In the last two games, Eichel has two goals and three assists, turning on the burners for the Golden Knights.
What's more is that he's doing it in more unorthodox ways. The center isn't just passing it to his teammates. He's also finding deflections, like he did on this Tomas Hertl goal.
Jack Eichel's playmaking is something else, picks up second apple of the night on Tomáš Hertl buttend of stick deflection to match tie for fifth most points across league (29); Vegas leads Anaheim 3-2 after one period pic.twitter.com/duK3dPrtD5
— Taylor Blake Ward (@TaylorBlakeWard) November 23, 2025
Balance is a beautiful thing in life. That's especially true if you're trying to win a Stanley Cup with all units scoring at once. With Eichel and the depth pieces breaking through, that should be bad news for the rest of the NHL.
The Golden Knights needed more than one power play goal against the Anaheim Ducks
Throughout the night, the Anaheim Ducks couldn't get out of their own way. Like a live-action remake from Disney, their play was wrought with errors with five penalties. That included Drew Helleson closing his hand on the puck (yes, he actually did that), where the Golden Knights capitalized on his fatal error.
But when you're trapped in a tight game against a solid divisional rival, you need to pounce on every chance you get. If you can't convert on your chances during the playoffs, where does that leave you?
Perhaps Vegas should lean on Hertl more. Maybe that means seeing Dorofeyev re-emerge on the power play. Whatever it takes, the Golden Knights need to bury their power play chances when it matters.