LAS VEGAS (AP) Gerard Gallant and the Vegas Golden Knights still think Tom Wilson’s third-period hit on Jonathan Marchessault in the Stanley Cup Final opener was too late and probably a bit dirty.The coach also believes it sparked his team’s comeback victory in that Game 1 thriller.So while he wasn’t happy to hear Wilson will face no discipline from the NHL http://www.officialducks.com/authentic-adidas-ryan-kesler-jersey , Gallant is hoping his team will remember the hit – and more importantly, how they played right after it – when they attempt to take a 2-0 series lead on the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night on the Strip.”The good thing about the hit is it really woke our team up,” Gallant said after an optional practice at the Golden Knights’ suburban training complex. ”I think it was a 4-4 game?”Indeed, two novice Stanley Cup finalists were deep into an entertainingly ramshackle opener, but the Knights took charge after that fateful collision left Marchessault sprawled on the ice. Vegas quickly got Tomas Nosek’s go-ahead goal , eventually won 6-4 and surged one game closer to an improbable championship.The focused aggression necessary to be a successful postseason team is a delicate concoction. The Golden Knights and Caps both had it during the conference playoffs, but they both admit it got away from them in Game 1.”I think both teams can be better,” Washington coach Barry Trotz said. ”It was a pretty sloppy game.”After one game to get used to the sky-high stakes of the last round of this tournament, both teams intend to channel their nervous energy more constructively in the future. Both coaches stressed the importance of discipline, completing assignments and not allowing the frenetic Vegas crowd to overwhelm their emotions.”There’s obviously nerves,” Washington’s Jay Beagle said. ”I’m not surprised at anything anymore Ryan Miller Jersey , but in the Stanley Cup Final, usually it’s 2-1 or 1-0, not (6-4). But you don’t know what to expect from a team that you don’t know that much. Now we’ve got to know them a little bit more.”The mistakes that worry coaches also lead to exciting hockey, and the opener was thoroughly entertaining even before Wilson lowered the boom on Marchessault. The teams combined for a Final-record four lead changes in the highest-scoring opener in eight years for this final round.Wilson, who served a three-game suspension in the second round for breaking the jaw of Pittsburgh’s Zach Aston-Reese, and the Capitals still insist the hard-charging forward did nothing wrong when he leveled the Golden Knights’ top playoff scorer.”It’s within the rules,” Wilson said after practice at T-Mobile Arena. ”It’s a clean hit. I don’t know why it got so much media attention, to be honest. It’s a hard hit, but that’s the day and age we’re in. … I’m trying to play my game. There’s a lot of those hits that are going on, but it’s the Stanley Cup Final, and it’s within the rules.”The NHL Department of Player Safety agreed when it decided not to discipline Wilson for the shoulder-to-shoulder hit Womens Alex Goligoski Jersey , clearly deciding that Wilson’s timing wasn’t extraordinarily late.Marchessault went to the dressing room and was examined for a possible concussion, but returned to the game. Gallant said the forward is feeling fine for Game 2.The Capitals had their own complaint about Vegas forward David Perron, who jumped on the ice after the whistle and made contact with Washington captain Alex Ovechkin during the scuffles immediately after the hit.Once the emotions died down, both teams realized they’ve got to check their more primal urges if they hope to play a solid game on the NHL’s biggest stage. The atmosphere in Las Vegas for the city’s first Final has been electric, but the Caps weren’t intimidated by the frenzied crowd.Washington goalie Braden Holtby said the biggest difference about playing in Vegas is ”the bass they put in the building. Maybe that’s a little false when … you’re literally shaking from the bass. That’s the only difference. (Their) fans are loud. Our fans are loud. Tampa’s, Pitt’s, Columbus, all fans are loud.”The condition of the T-Mobile Arena ice also caused occasional problems for both teams with its inconsistencies and general roughness, but nobody is claiming the first-year NHL building has any unusual problems. The conditions certainly didn’t hurt the offensive players in any meaningful way, given the final score.”Ice isn’t an excuse, because it’s the same for both teams Christian Dvorak Jersey ,” Holtby said. ”You just want to figure it out quicker than them, and obviously they’ve had the advantage playing here for a while. Our ice isn’t any different than it is here. It’s just little differences. When it’s that hot out, there’s always one thing that’s not great. We’re just figuring out what you can and can’t do.”—More Stanley Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/StanleyCupFinals EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Juuse Saros and the Nashville Predators found a way to shut down Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.Saros made 31 saves in the shutout and the Predators ran their winning streak to five games with a 3-0 victory over the Oilers on Saturday night.“We knew before the game they had lots of talent so we had to be solid in the defensive zone,” said Saros, who is unbeaten in four game this season and got the call with Pekke Rinne out with an injury. “I think we were that today and our penalty kill was really great, too.”P.K. Subban, Viktor Arvidsson and Roman Josi scored for the Predators, who are a perfect 4-0-0 on the road and have won seven of eight games this season. Mattias Ekholm had a pair of assists.“People talk about our ability to jump in the rush and generate offence, but we take pride in trying to make it as easy as we can on our goaltenders,” Subban said. “It’s tough to play against us when we’re moving our feet getting back to pucks.”The Oilers had a three-game winning streak halted.“I don’t think we were as sharp as the last few games before http://www.officialcoyotes.com/authentic-adidas-clayton-keller-jersey ,” said Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl. “We were clicking and created a lot more chances than we did today. We are still a work in progress. We need to create a little more than we did tonight.”There was no scoring in the first period, with Nashville getting seven shots on Oilers starter Cam Talbot and Edmonton putting four on Saros.Nashville broke the deadlock with 6:46 remaining in the second on a short-handed goal. Subban broke up ice on a 2-on-1 after an Edmonton giveaway and took the shot himself, scoring his second of the season.The Predators made it 2-0 about 90 seconds later after a nice passing play set up Arvidsson, who slipped a wrist shot past Talbot.Josi put the game away in the final minute with an empty-net goal.Nashville head coach Peter Laviolette did the entire postgame interview while wearing a full bull mask, something he had promised his team he would do if the Preds swept both of their games against Alberta teams over the last couple days.“It was going to be a tough trip, so we threw it out to the players and they got to choose the back end of the challenge, so we’re honoring the deal,” he said.“Good on him to hold up his end of the bet,” Subban chuckled.NOTES: It was the first of three games between the teams this season, with the Predators coming into the contest with 12 straight wins over the Oilers. . With defenseman Matt Benning (undisclosed injury) and forward Ty Rattie (upper body) both getting injured in their last game, Jason Garrison was reinserted on the blue line Youth Derek Stepan Jersey , while Alex Chiasson made his Oilers debut up front. … Predators goalie Pekka Rinne also suffered an injury in his team’s game on Friday, prompting the call up of Miroslav Svoboda to serve as Saros’ backup. … Recently retired former Nashville forward Jordin Tootoo was saluted for his contributions to Indigenous hockey. Hailing from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Tootoo was the first Inuk player in the history of the NHL, playing the bulk of his 13 seasons with the Predators.UP NEXTNashville: Home against San Jose on Tuesday.Edmonton: Host Pittsburgh on Tuesday.