Frank Vatrano’s hat trick leads Ducks past Golden Knights in season finale
Vatrano finishes with a career-high 37 goals as the Ducks end their season on a high note, a 4-1 win that dropped the playoff-bound Golden Knights into the second wild-card slot
Ducks right wing Frank Vatrano, left, celebrates a goal with teammates Trevor Zegras, center, and Ryan Strome during the third period of their game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night in Las Vegas. Vatrano scored three goals as the Ducks won their season finale, 4-1. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Ducks right wing Cutter Gauthier skates against the Vegas Golden Knights during the third period of their season finale on Thursday night in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Trevor Zegras #11 of the Anaheim Ducks takes a shot against Shea Theodore #27 of the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Ducks defeated the Golden Knights 4-1. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Ducks center Trevor Zegras (11) and Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (48) vie for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Ducks rookie Cutter Gauthier, playing in his first career NHL game, shoots against Shea Theodore of the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Leo Carlsson #91 of the Anaheim Ducks and Brayden McNabb #3 of the Vegas Golden Knights vie for the puck in the first period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Leo Carlsson #91 of the Anaheim Ducks and Brayden McNabb #3 of the Vegas Golden Knights vie for the puck in the first period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Leo Carlsson #91 of the Anaheim Ducks takes a shot against Tomas Hertl #48 of the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Jakob Silfverberg of the Anaheim Ducks skates against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
William Karlsson #71 of the Vegas Golden Knights skates with the puck under pressure from Jakob Silfverberg #33 of the Anaheim Ducks in the first period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Ducks rookie Cutter Gauthier, playing in his first career NHL game, skates against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Ducks rookie Cutter Gauthier, left, playing in his first career NHL game, and Zach Whitecloud #2 and Paul Cotter #43 of the Vegas Golden Knights vie for the puck in the first period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Ducks rookie Cutter Gauthier, right, playing in his first career NHL game, passes the puck against Keegan Kolesar #55 of the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Trevor Zegras #11 of the Anaheim Ducks takes a shot against Shea Theodore #27 of the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (48) dives for the puck next to Ducks right wing Cutter Gauthier (61) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Ducks center Trevor Zegras (11) skates with the puck between Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (48), left wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) and center Ivan Barbashev (49) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Ducks defenseman Olen Zellweger (51) skates with the puck against Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb (3) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Ducks right wing Jakob Silfverberg (33) shoots the puck against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore (27) and Ducks center Trevor Zegras (11) vie for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
William Karlsson #71 of the Vegas Golden Knights takes a shot against Jackson LaCombe #60 of the Anaheim Ducks in the second period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Frank Vatrano #77 of the Anaheim Ducks celebrates with teammates on the bench after scoring a second-period goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during their game at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Jack Eichel #9 of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates with teammates after scoring a second-period power-play goal against the Ducks during their game at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Tomas Hertl #48 and Jonathan Marchessault #81 of the Vegas Golden Knights react after teammate Jack Eichel #9 scored a second-period power-play goal against Lukas Dostal #1 of the Anaheim Ducks during their game at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Paul Cotter #43 of the Vegas Golden Knights is upended by a hip check from Radko Gudas #7 of the Anaheim Ducks in the second period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Pavel Dorofeyev #16 of the Vegas Golden Knights skates with the puck under pressure from Olen Zellweger #51 of the Anaheim Ducks in the second period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Ducks right wing Frank Vatrano (77) handles the puck next to Vegas Golden Knights center Nicolas Roy (10) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Ducks right wing Frank Vatrano reacts after scoring a goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
The Vegas Golden Knights celebrate a goal by Jack Eichel, center, against the Ducks during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Ducks right wing Frank Vatrano, left, celebrates a goal with teammates Trevor Zegras, center, and Ryan Strome during the third period of their game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night in Las Vegas. Vatrano scored three goals as the Ducks won their season finale, 4-1. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Vegas Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy watches during the third period of the team’s NHL hockey game against the Ducks on Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Ducks right wing Cutter Gauthier waits for play to resume during the third period of the team’s NHL hockey game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
From left, the Ducks’ Leo Carlsson, Jackson LaCombe and Cutter Gauthier celebrate after Gauthier, playing in his first career NHL game, recorded his first point with an assist on a third-period goal by LaCombe against the Vegas Golden Knights during their game at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Ducks defeated the Golden Knights 4-1. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Ducks right wing Troy Terry (19) skates with the puck near Vegas Golden Knights center Ivan Barbashev (49) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) jumps over the boards to start a shift during the third period of the team’s game against the Ducks on Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Ducks right wing Cutter Gauthier (61) chases the puck during the third period of the team’s NHL hockey game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Ducks center Trevor Zegras (11) skates against Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Ben Hutton (17) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Ducks celebrate a goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Jackson LaCombe #60, Frank Vatrano #77 and Radko Gudas #7 of the Anaheim Ducks celebrate after Vatrano scored a short-handed empty-net goal, the second of his two third-period goals, and his third goal of the game, against the Vegas Golden Knights during their game at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Ducks defeated the Golden Knights 4-1. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS — The Ducks’ season finale included a debut, a farewell and another big scoring night for Frank Vatrano.
Vatrano scored three goals and the Ducks ended their season on a high note, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights, 4-1, on Thursday night.
Vegas’ three-game winning streak ended and the loss knocked the Golden Knights out of third place in the Pacific Division and into the second Western Conference wild card when the Kings earned a point by getting to overtime against Chicago. The defending Stanley Cup champions will face top seed Dallas in the first round beginning Monday night, while the Kings will face Edmonton.
Vatrano’s goals gave him a career-high 37 for the season. It was his third hat trick this season and the sixth of his career.
Jackson LaCombe had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, who finished 27-50-5 for 59 points. Ryan Strome had two assists and Lukas Dostal made 29 saves.
Cutter Gauthier had an assist in his first career game. Just five days earlier, he was playing in the NCAA championship game at the Frozen Four for Boston College.
“It feels incredible,” Gauthier said of his primary assist on LaCombe’s goal. “I heard Comber calling for it there and I passed it to him. I saw it trickle in there and just very excited, pure joy. It’s something you dream of as a kid.”
Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg, who played his final NHL game after 12 seasons in the league, was congratulated by his teammates and then shook hands with Golden Knights players after the game. Eleven of his seasons came with the Ducks, and he ranks in the top 10 of several of their franchise categories.
“I enjoyed my time here a lot, not just me but my family,” Silfverberg said. “It’s been 11 amazing years. It’s definitely a team I’ll be rooting for and I’ll follow them closely.”
Jack Eichel scored the Knights’ lone goal. It was his 31st, his most since scoring 36 in the 2019-20 season for Buffalo. Adin Hill made 19 stops for Vegas, which shook off the drop in playoff position.
“Every team that’s left standing is a good hockey team,” Eichel said. “There’s no easy path to winning. We understand every game’s going to be a battle. I think we should be pretty excited. It’s a great opportunity for our team.”
William Karlsson’s second-period assist for Vegas gave him 60 points this season, the second time he’s reached the mark. He had 78 points in the 2017-18 season.
Karlsson remains the club’s single-season goals leader at 43, with Jonathan Marchessault coming one short despite 13 shots against the Ducks, including seven on goal. Marchessault scored only one goal in his final seven games.
The Knights made a concerted effort to get Marchessault the record, sometimes feeding him the puck when there were better options. He had nine shots in the first period alone, four on goal to match the Ducks’ first-period total. Four other shots were blocked and one missed the net.
The Ducks didn’t take their first shot on goal until the 10-minute mark.
“We were asleep in the first 10, 12 minutes,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said. “We didn’t have our legs. They weren’t moving their feet. They weren’t moving the puck. Vegas was. We were very fortunate we weren’t down 2-0 in the first 10 minutes.”
After a scoreless first period, Vatrano scored at 4:25 of the second and Eichel at 18:47. That was Vegas’ ninth power-play goal this month, tying Calgary for most in the NHL.
LaCombe and Vatrano scored 29 seconds apart early in the third period to give the Ducks the lead for good. Vatrano’s final goal came with 15 seconds left on an empty-netter with the Knights on a 6-on-4 power play.
Ducks defenseman William Lagesson skated in his 100th career game.
