It didn’t take long for the NHL’s two newest clubs to build up some animosity.
Seattle Kraken forward Morgan Geekie rifled a wrist shot from the right faceoff dot, perfectly placed over Vegas goaltender Robin Lehner’s glove and into the top of the net. It was a massive goal for the 23-year-old, bringing the Kraken back from an early three-goal deficit in their first game in franchise history to tie the score midway through the third period in Las Vegas.
Geekie celebrated his goal with a cheeky stick twirl, sheathing his stick like a sword on his hip before glancing toward the Vegas bench.
Golden Knights players took offense.
“I was pretty fired up to get out there,” Golden Knights captain Mark Stone said after the game. “The guy kind of did a little stick twirl and stared the bench down, so it kind of got our line fired up.”
Max Pacioretty calmly hopped over the boards, skated over to his linemate Chandler Stephenson and said, “Let’s go score on this shift.”
Seconds into the following shift, Stone read Adam Larsson’s outlet pass and stepped into the passing lane to intercept it and start a rush the other way.
