ANAHEIM, Calif. -- It is no longer "The Miracle in the Desert."

The Vegas Golden Knights picked up where they left off at the NHL's holiday break, playing smart and confident hockey to remain atop the Pacific Division.

Shea Theodore, Cody Eakin, William Karlsson and David Perron registered goals, and Malcolm Subban made 27 saves as the Golden Knights defeated the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 on Wednesday night.

Vegas (24-9-2) won its fifth consecutive game and remained undefeated in regulation play through 10 games (9-0-1), the longest point streak by a team in its inaugural NHL season. The Golden Knights lead the season series 3-0.

Anaheim (16-14-8) had a two-game winning streak snapped. Rickard Rakell registered the lone Ducks' goal, and John Gibson made 24 saves.

The Golden Knights' collection of castoffs have jelled into a cohesive unit under coach Gerard Gallant just weeks into their inaugural season. A prime example of his leadership is the development of Karlsson, who leads the team in goals with 17, which leaves him tied him for seventh in the league. Karlsson was unable to get top-six minutes with Anaheim and Columbus but under Gallant's tutelage has emerged.

"William always had the skill to be a top offensive player," Gallant said. "He was given the opportunity to play in all situations, and he has grasped it."

Like Karlsson, Theodore is a former Duck. He was traded to Vegas during its expansion draft due to a surplus of defensemen in the Anaheim system. Theodore admitted when his first-period shot hit the back of the next, it was memorable moment in his young career.

"It is special to come back and score a goal against your old team," Theodore said. "I held my celebration until we got the win and the two points."

The Ducks failed to build a solid end of a road trip with victories at the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins. They committed multiple unforced errors that led to goals, and their sloppy play was the determining factor in the loss.

As the Ducks continue to battle for position in the Pacific Division, their play inside the division will need to improve if they are to extend their postseason appearance streak to six seasons. The Wednesday loss was their seventh in 10 games against division opponents (3-4-3).

"We made mistakes and gave them some easier goals," Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm said. "On the second goal, that is on me. After those mistakes, on the next shift we have to get that goal back and we did not."

Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf noted that as the game progressed, his team failed to match the intensity of the Golden Knights.

"They raised their level of play and we did not," Getzlaf said. "After the first 10 minutes, we didn't do what we needed to do."

Anaheim took a 1-0 lead on Rakell's 11th goal at 1:40 of the first period. The Ducks applied heavy forecheck pressure that led to Jakob Silfverberg retrieving a point shot by Brandon Montour for a feed from behind the net. Rakell's wrist shot cleanly beat Subban.

Vegas tied the game at 1-1 on Theodore's third goal of the season at 17:50 of the first period. Anaheim defenseman Kevin Bieksa left Theodore unchecked as he penetrated from the blue line, allowing Theodore to beat Gibson with an uncontested wrist shot. Tomas Nosek and Oscar Lindberg registered assists.

The Golden Knights took a 2-1 lead on Eakin's fifth goal of the season at 15:12 of the second period. Eakin stepped out of the penalty box after gaining possession of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare's clearing pass and stepped around Lindholm to gain entry into the Anaheim zone. Gaining separation from Lindholm allowed Eakin to fire a wrist shot thru Gibson's five-hole for the lead score.

Vegas extended its lead to 3-1 on Karlsson's 17th goal of the season 28 seconds into the third period. Jonathan Marchessault intercepted a drop pass by Anaheim's Josh Manson and fed Karlsson, who had a step on Chris Wagner after the turnover. Karlsson shoveled a backhander past Gibson's glove at the goal mouth for the score.

Perron added an empty-netter, his eighth goal of the season, at 18:47 of the third period to complete the scoring.

NOTES: Referee Dan O'Rourke reached a milestone, officiating his 1,000th NHL game. ... Vegas scratched D Brad Hunt and C Ryan Carpenter. ... The Golden Knights finish their short two-game road trip Thursday in Los Angeles. ... Vegas RW Reilly Smith played in his 400th NHL game. ... C Ryan Kesler's return was an unexpected holiday gift for the Ducks. The veteran, who had missed the entire season while rehabbing from offseason hip surgery, was activated prior to the game. Kesler registered minus-3 rating and had three shots on goal in 16:27 of play. ... Anaheim did not dress D Korbinian Holzer, C Dennis Rasmussen, C Derek Grant and D Andy Welinski.