3 takeaways from Knights’ loss: Canadiens rally snaps winning streak

Teams on winning streaks are bound to have a night where the bounces don’t go their way.

Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy didn’t see his team’s 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens at T-Mobile Arena that way. The Knights controlled play for almost 40 minutes Tuesday, but self-inflicted mistakes allowed the Canadiens to storm back from a 2-0 deficit.

“This is not a game where I look at a lot of the chances where I’d say, ‘Boy, there were all over us. They turned the momentum,’” Cassidy said. “They didn’t.”

The loss snapped the Knights’ six-game winning streak.

They took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission after goals from defensemen Zach Whitecloud and Noah Hanifin. They kept the pressure up in the second period, generating three good looks on the game’s lone power play.

The Knights started taking their foot off the gas later in the frame, however. Montreal scored three unanswered goals to take the lead, capped off by center Kirby Dach’s game winner with 9:51 remaining in the third period.

The flurry handed the Knights (25-9-3) their first loss since Dec. 14. The Canadiens (17-17-3) won for the sixth time in seven games.

Montreal’s rally started with a goal from left wing Cole Caufield with 2:33 remaining in the second period. Hanifin and Whitecloud said the Knights sat back in the third, which allowed left wing Emil Heineman to tie the game 7:58 into the final frame.

“No matter what the score is, you’ve got to stay on your toes and attack,” Hanifin said. “And I thought in the third, we kind of got away from that, which is not normal for us.”

The Knights finished with 23 giveaways, tied for their third-most in a game this season. Some were unforced errors and others were influenced by the Canadiens’ forecheck.

Whitecloud said the Knights needed to manage the puck better in the third. They lost for only the second time in 16 games when leading through two periods.

“You’ve got to make your plays, but if you allow fast-paced teams to transition like that, they’re going to take advantage in this league,” Whitecloud said.

Cassidy felt his team dominated the second period but didn’t finish well. He didn’t blame that on complacency. The Knights just needed to push harder in the third, but couldn’t.

“You look at it and say, ‘Not our night. Let’s move on and get ready for Philly (on Thursday),’” Cassidy said. “But I know when I watch it, I’m going to be pissed because those are points we should have had. We’re a better team than that, but (the points are) gone.”

Here are three takeaways from the loss:

1. Montembeault clutch

Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault had a strong game and finished with 27 saves. His last two were his most important.

Montembeault, in the final seconds, stopped Hanifin’s one-timer from the slot. He then saved left wing Victor Olofsson’s shot off the rebound and froze the puck with 12 seconds remaining.

It was a statement performance from Montembeault against his fellow Team Canada goaltender for February’s 4 Nations Face-Off. Adin Hill made 19 saves for the Knights in the other net.

2. Strong second line

The Knights have spent much of this season trying to find the right linemates for left wing Tomas Hertl.

It appears he’s now found a home with center William Karlsson and right wing Keegan Kolesar. Hertl and Kolesar picked up the assists on Whitecloud’s first-period goal.

The trio was put together after left wing Ivan Barbashev and center Nicolas Roy suffered upper-body injuries. Cassidy isn’t sure how long Hertl, Karlsson and Kolesar will stick together, but they’ve clicked so far.

“I like it,” Cassidy said. “I like the makeup of it and we’ll see how it plays out going forward.”

3. Rare air on New Year’s Eve

The Knights opened 2024 with a 3-0 loss in the Winter Classic to the Seattle Kraken on New Year’s Day. They ended 2024 with a rare loss on New Year’s Eve, dropping to 4-1 all-time on the holiday.

The Knights’ wins on New Year’s Eve came against the Toronto Maple Leafs (2017), the Anaheim Ducks (2019, 2021) and the Nashville Predators (2022).

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.