Ducks Spoil Vegas Opener, Dostal Laughs Last in 4-3 Upset

Well, that's what we get for leaning too hard on last year's numbers. The Ducks rolled into T-Mobile Arena and swiped a 4-3 season-opening win, leaving our Golden Knights ML pick face-down in the Nevada desert. We banked on Carter Hart's supposed .923 pedigree to bury Lukas Dostal's .888 résumé, but Dostal clearly didn't read the scouting report—he stood tall when it mattered, and Anaheim's offense found just enough juice despite missing Troy Terry. Vegas carried the expected territorial edge, especially at home, but couldn't solve Dostal often enough to justify that -200 price tag. The Ducks capitalized on their chances, rode timely saves, and walked out with two points that nobody outside their locker room saw coming. Hart wasn't a disaster, but he wasn't the difference-maker we sold him as, either. Sometimes the goaltending gap exists on paper and evaporates on ice. Credit to Anaheim for punching back in a spot where most figured they'd roll over. As for us? Chalk up the miss, tip the cap, and remember that season openers are coin flips dressed up as analytics. On to the next.