Golden Knights furious rally falls short in loss to Ducks

Ryan Craig got what he wanted when he said the Vegas Golden Knights needed to start on time. They simply didn’t start on schedule in the second period, and it cost them. The Knights nearly erased a four‑goal deficit but fell short in a 4‑3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks at T‑Mobile Arena on Friday. Defenseman Shea Theodore and center Tomas Hertl each scored twice in a span of 2 minutes, 29 seconds, and forward Braeden Bowman made it a one‑goal game with 2:50 remaining. Goaltender Carter Hart stopped 16 shots. Vegas (1‑1‑0) opened the season with a home‑and‑home split after a 5‑2 victory over Chicago on Tuesday. Anaheim center Leo Carlsson recorded a goal and an assist in his first game since signing a five‑year, $90 million contract in the offseason as a restricted free agent. You know who could have utilized Carlsson in their first two games? The Philadelphia Flyers, the team that gave him that massive deal worth $18 million per year. Perhaps the Flyers knew what they were doing, because Carlsson performed like an $18‑million player. His play not only welcomed the matchup against Jack Eichel’s line but dominated it. Anaheim also benefited from solid goaltending by Lukas Dostal. The netminder’s eight saves in the opening period set up Ducks forward Beckett Sennecke to break down the defense in the final seconds. Carlsson fed Sennecke for a breakaway with 7.7 seconds left, beating Hart glove‑side for a 1‑0 lead. It didn’t improve in the second period. Anaheim added three goals in a 5‑minute, 30‑second stretch. Forward Alex Killorn scored on a deflection at 1:33. Fourth‑line winger Jeff Malott was credited with a goal 55 seconds later after defenseman Jackson LaCombe’s shot deflected three times before crossing the line. Carlsson capped the run at 7:03 with an open‑net goal after Hart made two key saves following a turnover by defenseman Brayden McNabb. Dostal finished with 26 saves. Eichel contributed two assists, giving him five points in two games.