Golden Knights hammer Avs in high-scoring opener

Ivan Barbashev had two goals and two assists, Mark Stone and Victor Olofsson also scored twice, and the host Vegas Golden Knights overcame a hat trick from Mikko Rantanen to beat the Colorado Avalanche 8-4 on Wednesday night in the opener for both teams.

Jack Eichel contributed four assists, Zach Whitecloud also scored, Shea Theodore had three assists and Adin Hill stopped 28 shots for Vegas.

Casey Mittelstadt scored the other goal for Colorado while Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Sam Girard finished with two assists each for Colorado.

Alexandar Georgiev allowed five goals on 16 shots before being replaced by Justus Annunen to start the third period for the Avalanche. Annunen turned away two shots and gave up two goals.

Rantanen gave Colorado the early lead with a one-timer from MacKinnon at 10:48 of the first period but the Knights answered right away on Olofsson's sharp-angle shot that beat Georgiev at 11:15.

Vegas took the lead into the first intermission with two quick goals. Barbashev got his first at 18:32 and 25 seconds later Stone, who also had an assist, beat Georgiev to give Knights a 3-1 lead.

The Avalanche struck early in the second period on their first power play of the game. Colorado worked the puck around to MacKinnon, he passed it to Makar at the point, who then sent it to Rantanen in the right circle. Rantanen buried the one-timer at 4:15 of the second.

Vegas again answered quickly on Whitecloud's wrister at 5:49, and the Avalanche made it 4-3 on Mittelstadt's backhander off a rebound at 17:32.

The Knights got another late-period goal on their first power play when Olofsson beat Georgiev with a wrister from the right circle at 19:46.

Colorado made it a one-goal game when Rantanen again scored on the power play on a pass from Makar at 6:59 of the third to notch his eighth career hat trick.

Vegas put it away with Stone's second goal at 8:29 and Barbashev's second tally at 13:54. Brett Howden scored into an empty net at 19:24.

--Field Level Media