LAS VEGAS (AP) — Defenseman Alec Martinez scored two goals and the Vegas Golden Knights dominated possession in beating the San Jose Sharks 5-0 on Friday night.
Martinez is known more for putting his body in harm’s way, leading the NHL last season with 244 blocked shots. He had only one goal this season before facing the Sharks.
“You come to practice, you know he has a good shot,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He’s got a lot of heat behind it. He’s just not a guy who’s up the ice a lot. He tries to take care of his own end first.”
Also for the Golden Knights, Alex Pietrangelo had a goal and two assists, William Karlsson had a goal and an assist and Brett Howden scored. Michael Amadio had two assists and Adin Hill made 20 saves in recording his second shutout of the season and seventh of his career.
“Any game you win 5-0 and you give up 20 shots is a good game by your team,” Hill said. “They had a couple of good scoring chances and had some looks here and there, but I thought our guys did a great job tonight.”
Vegas, which had 39 shots on goal, snapped a two-game slide, its only regulation losses this season. The Sharks entered the game off its only two victories.
“We realized there were things we weren’t doing up to our ability,” Martinez said of the Golden Knights’ recent play. “During the course of the year, you want to continue to improve. It’s not going to be a linear thing. There are going to be ups and downs. I think good teams recognize they’re not doing things the way that they should be.”
The Knights’ reign over their Pacific Division rival continued, with Vegas now owning a 22-2-5 all-time record against the Sharks.
The Knights didn’t waste any time, scoring one minute into the game on Pietrangelo’s wraparound goal after he charged in from the right point. Martinez’s blast from near the blue line put Vegas on top 2-0 with 8:41 left in the first period.
Vegas took the first seven shots on goal in that period and at one point outshot the Sharks 15-3.
“Right from the get go, we looked flat for sure,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “Getting down again 2-0 certainly didn’t help our cause. We were just half a step behind all night long. We defended way too much, weren’t able to end plays. We’re chasing the game really from the drop of the puck.”
Neither team scored in the second period, even though the Knights continued to dominate the possession time. Vegas went into the second intermission with a 29-12 shots-on-goal advantage.
The Knights finally took advantage in the third period by scoring three goals to turn the game into a runaway. Jack Eichel delivered a pass to Karlsson off the rush for a shorthanded goal for Karlsson’s team-high eighth, Martinez stuck the puck in from the left circle and Howden scored from in front of the net.
Knights fans wanted even more against the team’s most intense rival, chanting, “We want six!”
UP NEXT
Sharks: At Anaheim on Sunday.
Golden Knights: At Washington on Tuesday that includes a visit to the White House to celebrate the Stanley Cup championship. Vegas plays eight of its next nine games on the road.