LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — After a long summer without Vegas Born hockey, the blaring horn inside The Fortress was a sound for sore ears Wednesday night.
On Opening Knight, the Vegas Golden Knights rattled off eight goals to kick off the franchise's eighth season. A year after raising their 2023 Stanley Cup banner, the Guys in Gold beat the Colorado Avalanche 8-4 to begin a new quest to reclaim the Cup.
“The atmosphere, it’s always amazing here," VGK fan Chris Moran told Channel 13 after the game. "We like to be here for the first game every season.” |
“To support the team and show them the Vegas love," VGK fan Maria Tijerina added with a Mark Stone giveaway pin in-hand. |
“Every time they scored, I think we answered within a minute, minute and a half," VGK captain Mark Stone said after scoring two goals in the opener. "l think the goals they scored we had some key timely goals to kind of push the momentum back in our way.”
While Jack Eichel recorded four assists to take the league lead in helpers, three Knights netted a pair of goals against the Avs: Stone, Ivan Barbashev, and — in his VGK debut — Victor Olofsson.
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“It was cool, it was really cool," the former Buffalo Sabre said on playing his first regular season game as a Golden Knight. "I got a taste for it in the preseason but I feel like this was another level. So it was special for sure, and I was really pumped up.”
“There are things we got to fix but we scored a lot of goals and I think we’ve done a really good job on the penalty kill," VGK forward Ivan Barbashev said. "You got to give credit to everyone. The guys fought and got a win.”
The Golden Knights are 7-1 all-time in home openers and now 3-0 in such games under head coach Bruce Cassidy. According to the Knights' third-year coach, the proof in the pudding is the players and their fans.
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas 34 will air 69 Golden Knights games for the upcoming regular season
"You have to have good players because now you're just going out and playing," Cassidy said after the game. "That to me is the biggest thing. We've had success here since year 1 and that has a lot to do with the players. And I think it's a tough building to play in. I'm sure that has a lot to do with it. They're loud and behind you."
Next up, the Golden Knights host the St. Louis Blues on Friday night at 7 p.m.
You can watch the game on Vegas 34. Pregame coverage starts at 6:30.
Where to watch
Unless they are nationally televised, all Vegas Golden Knights games are broadcast on Vegas 34 and streamed on the KnightTime+ app.
Vegas 34 (KMCC) can be found as Channel 34 on Cox Cable and DIRECTV, and as Channel 34.1 for viewers with an antenna.
For streaming services, Vegas 34 can be found on the DIRECTV streaming app or on FuboTV.
You can also consider purchasing a Tablo Total System to receive live broadcast TV and a selection of free streaming channels.