No time for Golden Knights to sulk after lethargic effort
LOS ANGELES — There isn’t much time for the Golden Knights to lament their lethargic effort in a 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday at Staples Center.
The Knights return to action against the Dallas Stars at 6 p.m. Sunday at T-Mobile Arena.
“I think it’s just one where you say screw it,” goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury said of the loss. “You put it behind you and know you’ve got a game tomorrow and we’ve got to get ready for that one.”
The Knights salvaged a win on the second day of back-to-back games for the first time this season when they beat the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 24. They now face a Dallas team that has won four straight, all against teams from the Pacific Division.
“We’ll know tomorrow if it’s a good thing we’re getting right back on the ice,” Knights coach Gerard Gallant said.
Nothing to worry about
It had been more than seven games since the Golden Knights had allowed a power-play goal before Matt Luff found the net for the Kings in the second period.
That was one aspect of the loss that the Knights weren’t hanging their heads about.
“That was a good play by them,” Gallant said. “They made a great play.”
Former Knight Brendan Leipsic put a pass on Luff’s stick to set up the goal on one of two Kings’ power plays.
Defenseman Nate Schmidt said the Knights can learn from the play and move on knowing that their penalty kill unit has been sensational for the past few weeks.
“They ran the same play twice,” he said. “It’s just one of those times you tip your cap to their power play. “By the time I turned around, it was already in the back of the net. I could have had better positioning in where I was at, especially with how they were set up. But it happened quick, and that’s how the best power plays do it. Now you have a chance to start a new streak.”
Budding rivals
Almost from the time the NHL announced a franchise in Las Vegas, there has been a desire in the fan bases to establish a rivalry.
It seems to be coming to fruition.
Kings defenseman Drew Doughty made waves last season with comments about the expansion franchise only to see the Knights get the last laugh with a playoff sweep.
It was still fresh in his memory Saturday.
“These guys kicked us out of the playoffs last year,” Doughty said. “It’s a new season, but you never forget those types of things. I hope no one on this team ever forgot that. That was definitely one of our things we talked about. Let’s get them back. It’s not getting them back, not even close, but we won. It’s a start.”
The teams will get well acquainted this month.
Los Angeles will travel to T-Mobile Arena on Dec. 23 before they meet again Dec. 29 at Staples Center.
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Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.
