3 takeaways from Knights’ win: Practice pays off vs. Islanders — PHOTOS
The Golden Knights knew what they wanted to do to snap out of a slide that saw them lose six of seven games while surrendering goals at a troubling rate.
They put the plan in action Saturday night, and the result was a triumphant performance in a 5-2 victory over the New York Islanders at T-Mobile Arena. Jack Eichel and Nicolas Roy each scored twice as the Knights put together one of their most complete games in weeks.
Coach Bruce Cassidy said he wanted to see his team manage the puck better and then put it below New York’s goal line and go to work on the forecheck.
The Knights worked on those things at practice Friday and then did exactly that once the puck dropped.
“I looked back at the first three goals, and they were all from the mindset we talked about and practiced of putting the puck below the goal line,” Cassidy said. “That’s what I thought we did well; we stuck with our game plan.”
While the Knights (23-12-5) played well much of the night, they still found themselves in a 1-1 tie late in the second period before Pavel Dorofeyev tapped in a pass from Chandler Stephenson and then Roy scored 90 seconds later to take control of the game.
Eichel then scored a power-play goal, his second tally of the game, just 31 seconds into the third.
“They’ve got some good offensive players and a good goaltender, and so it was important for us to get a lead, not only the second goal but the third goal going to the third period,” Eichel said. “It had us feeling comfortable with ourselves, and obviously being able to extend the lead helped.”
It was more than enough for Logan Thompson, whose 28-save performance included a key stop on a breakaway to keep the game tied in the second period.
“It was awesome to see him battle for us,” Eichel said. “He made some big saves not only then but in other parts of the game. So tons of credit to Logan, stepped up for us tonight.”
Keegan Kolesar had two assists, and 2020 third-round pick Lukas Cormier added one in his NHL debut for his first point.
Mathew Barzal and Matt Martin scored for the Islanders (18-11-10).
Here are three takeaways from the win:
1. Cormier debuts
Cormier, a defenseman, was in the lineup and paired with Brayden McNabb for his NHL debut.
He didn’t find out until he entered City National Arena for Saturday’s morning skate and saw his name on the board.
“It’s a moment I’ve been waiting for,” the 21-year-old Canadian said. “There’s going to be a lot of emotions for sure. I just have to be ready to play my regular game.”
His parents were in town and able to attend the game, though there wasn’t enough time for other friends and family to make the trip from New Brunswick.
Cormier played 19:23 and had a plus-1 rating, drawing praise from Cassidy for staying within himself in his debut.
He slotted Cormier in on the first power-play unit with some of the team’s top stars, and it paid off as Cormier set up Eichel for a power-play goal in the third period for his first point.
“That’s his skill set and what he was drafted to do,” Cassidy said before the game. “I believe if you’re going to use a guy, put him in a position where he’s going to be able to best help the team. That for him is puck moving and power play, so he should get some time if we’re missing that element, which we are.”
2. Late scratch
Cormier wasn’t the only new face in the defensive corps for the Knights, as Tobias Bjornfot made his team debut.
He was a late replacement for Zach Whitecloud, who participated in morning skate but was scratched with an upper-body injury.
Bjornfot, a 2019 first-round pick, was claimed off waivers from the Kings this week. The Sweden native had one goal and 14 assists in 117 games with Los Angeles.
Kolesar, a forward, returned to the lineup, picking up two assists and setting a textbook screen in front of Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin on Roy’s second-period goal. William Carrier was out of the lineup, however, so Grigori Denisenko played again.
3. Special again
After a disastrous special teams performance Thursday against the Panthers, the Knights rebounded well Saturday.
They converted their only power play of the game and kept the puck out of the net on both of the Islanders’ opportunities.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.