The Vegas Golden Knights got off to their best start in a long time on Saturday night when they defeated the Washington Capitals 6-2.
Vegas scored its first goal less than 3 minutes into the game, which it followed up with a second goal before the midway point of the first period.
It was its first 1-0 lead since its 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan. 5 when the Golden Knights got out to a 4-0 lead through two periods.
Golden Knights forward Paul Cotter finished Saturday's game with two goals, a performance that he felt was fueled by the team's positive energy from the start.
"I thought we, as a team, were really good," Cotter told the media after the win. "We had a lot of energy off the start. It was a good mood before the game. Everyone was happy. I think it was just kind of a -- we needed to get back to it. I don't know what it took exactly, but it was a lot of positivity, so it was easy for me to kind of just play my game."
Cotter was one of five different Golden Knight goal scorers in the victory.
"I think when you have a lead and things haven't been going your way, you start feeling better about yourself, right?" said Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy. "Right away you're like, 'OK, maybe it'll be my night, too' type of thing. ... When I saw Stevie's [Chandler Stephenson] shot go off the bar, I'm like, 'Oh God, here we go again.' But good for Marty [Alec Martinez]. He needed a goal as much as anybody. Made a little tweak in our D pairs and it worked out well for us tonight. So happy for Marty to be up in the play. And now we're up and running, right?"
Saturday was a much-needed win for Vegas, as the team had previously been on a three-game losing streak.
"I think this win goes a long way for everyone," said Golden Knights goaltender Logan Thompson. "It's a big confidence boost. Like I said, scoring's been tough for us as of late, and keeping the puck out for the goalies has been tough as well."
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