LAS VEGAS (AP) — Paul Cotter scored twice and the Vegas Golden Knights finally got off to a good start, beating the Washington Capitals 6-2 Saturday night, snapping a three-game losing streak.
Washington captain Alex Ovechkin sat out with a lower-body injury and was ruled routine by the Capitals. He led the team with 30 goals and 52 points.
Even with Ovechkin on the ice, the Capitals could have trouble against the Cavaliers, who have lost four of their first five games and looked anything but sharp. They’re 3-4 at home and don’t return to T-Mobile Arena until Sunday’s Super Bowl.
Nicolas Roy scored a goal and assisted twice for the Cavaliers, Alec Martinez scored a goal and assisted one, Alex Pitrangelo and Chandler Stephenson each assisted twice . Goalie Logan Thompson saved 20 shots to improve his career record against Washington to 3-0.
Cavaliers coach Bruce Cassidy lamented Vegas’ slow start to the hiatus. Opponents had scored the opening goal in five consecutive games before the Capitals came to town.
Vegas opened fire, scoring two goals in the first 7 minutes and 36 seconds. When Stephenson’s shot hit the left post, Martinez grabbed the rebound and Roy scored on a pass from Jonathan Marcheso to complete the 2-on-1 breakthrough.
The Cavaliers scored three goals in the second quarter — Michael Amadeo, Byron Frost and Kurt — to take a 5-0 lead. It was the first goal of the season for Froese, who has spent most of the season playing for the Cavaliers’ NHL affiliate in Henderson.
Froese’s goal with 7:55 left was also caught by Capitals goalkeeper Darcy Kuemper, who conceded four goals in 18 shots. His substitute Charlie Lindgren conceded just 1:34 after the break.
The Capitals finally scored with 1:40 left in the second quarter when Erik Gustafsson scored for TJ Oshie.
The teams swapped goals in the third quarter, with Kurt scoring for the Cavaliers and Marcus Johnson scoring for the Capitals.
Previous
Capitals: At Colorado on Tuesday night.
Golden Knights: At Arizona on Sunday night.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
