LAS VEGAS (Interstat) — Leo Carlsson had a goal and an assist, Lukas Dostal made 27 saves and the Anaheim Ducks opened the season by holding off the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 on Friday at T-Mobile Arena in a National Hockey League game. Anaheim improved to 1-0-0, while Vegas fell to 1-1-0. The announced attendance was 17,619. The Ducks, the visiting team, never trailed after scoring late in the first period, then built a four-goal lead before the Golden Knights rallied. Vegas had a final push, but Anaheim’s goaltending and penalty kill did enough to close out the win.

The teams met last season in the second round of the playoffs, with Vegas winning in six games and going on to win the Western Conference. Vegas had opened its season at home with a 5-2 victory over Chicago. Anaheim was beginning its new campaign and looking for a strong start against a familiar opponent. The Ducks used an early scoring burst to seize control, while the Golden Knights spent much of the first two periods chasing the game.

The first period was physical and choppy before Anaheim broke through. Leo Carlsson won the opening faceoff against Jack Eichel, setting an early tone. Vegas generated chances through Tomas Hertl and Noah Hanifin, but Dostal turned them aside. Cutter Gauthier was sent to the box for holding the stick against Brett Howden at 10:54, and later for high-sticking against Eichel at 17:41. The Ducks killed both penalties. Anaheim finally scored with 8 seconds left in the period when Beckett Sennecke converted a wrist shot. Carlsson and Tristan Luneau assisted on the goal, which gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead after one period. The sequence developed after Braeden Bowman’s wrist shot was saved by Dostal and blocked by Luneau. Anaheim also got a takeaway from Jackson LaCombe and hits from Nikita Nesterenko, Judd Caulfield, AJ Greer and Jeff Malott during a chippy opening frame.

Anaheim kept pressing in the second and quickly added to its lead. Alex Killorn scored on a tip-in at 2:33, with Noah Warren and Mikael Granlund collecting assists. Less than two minutes later, Jeff Malott deflected a shot past Carter Hart at 4:28. Tim Washe and Jackson LaCombe were credited with assists on the play, which made it 3-0. Vegas tried to respond with shots from Victor Olofsson, Brett Howden, William Karlsson and Rasmus Andersson, but Dostal stood firm. Anaheim’s forecheck created repeated turnovers and kept the Golden Knights from building momentum. The Ducks then stretched the lead to 4-0 when Carlsson scored on a wrist shot at 14:03. Anthony-John Greer and Cutter Gauthier assisted. By the end of the second, Anaheim had a commanding cushion and had limited Vegas’ best looks. Gauthier had a backhand chance go wide right, and Jackson LaCombe put shots on net as the Ducks continued to press.

Vegas finally broke through in the third. Shea Theodore scored on a wrist shot at 12:38, with Brett Howden and Jack Eichel assisting. Anaheim was assessed a delay-of-game bench minor after an unsuccessful challenge on the play, served by Nikita Nesterenko. The goal and penalty gave the Golden Knights life. Vegas continued to push, and Tomas Hertl scored on a wrist shot at 18:07, with Mitch Marner and Eichel assisting. Eichel’s second assist of the game helped pull Vegas within two. The Golden Knights kept pressing for another goal, and Braeden Bowman scored on a wrist shot with Victor Olofsson and Brayden McNabb assisting. That brought Vegas within one and turned the final minutes into a tense finish. Hertl had a tip-in go wide left, and Karlsson put a backhand on Dostal as Vegas searched for the equalizer.

Dostal and the Ducks held on from there. Anaheim blocked several late shots and kept Vegas from generating a clean look at the tying goal. Cutter Gauthier nearly added insurance earlier when his wrist shot hit the left post, and he finished with five shots on goal, four penalty minutes and a hit. The Ducks also received contributions throughout the lineup. Killorn, Sennecke, Malott and Carlsson each scored, while Gauthier, Washe and Luneau recorded assists. For Vegas, Hertl had a goal, five shots on goal and two hits. Theodore added a goal, four shots and two hits, while Eichel finished with two assists, two shots and a hit. Marner, Howden, Olofsson and McNabb also picked up assists as the Golden Knights rallied. Carlsson finished with a goal, an assist, one shot and one hit. Dostal stopped 27 of 30 shots in the win.

Anaheim’s victory marked a strong start to the season and a measure of revenge against the team that eliminated it from the playoffs last spring. The Ducks showed speed through the neutral zone and capitalized on their chances during the middle period. Vegas, which had won its opener against Chicago, could not overcome the four-goal deficit despite a furious third-period push. The Golden Knights outshot Anaheim 30-27 overall, but Dostal made 27 saves to preserve the win. Carter Hart stopped Anaheim’s other attempts. The Ducks improved to 1-0-0, while Vegas fell to 1-1-0.

Anaheim is scheduled to continue its early-season schedule with a home game against Florida. Vegas will next travel to Vancouver before visiting Seattle. The Ducks will then host Edmonton and later begin a road trip at Winnipeg. The Golden Knights will return home to face Toronto after their brief trip. Those contests will come quickly as both teams settle into the regular-season grind. Anaheim will also have games against Calgary, Boston, the New York Rangers, the New York Islanders, New Jersey and Philadelphia in the coming weeks. Vegas is set to face Los Angeles, Minnesota, Nashville, Calgary, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and St. Louis during the same stretch.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Vegas 5, Anaheim 2. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Vegas with a 67.5 percent probability to win. Vegas had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 7 went under the over/under line of 6.