Golden Knights blow lead, but recover for 3rd straight win
On a different night, facing a different goalie, the Golden Knights could have put Friday’s game away early and coasted to victory.
But nothing has come easy for the Knights.
Despite blowing a three-goal lead in the third period, they had enough left to pull out a 5-4 shootout victory over the Anaheim Ducks at T-Mobile Arena.
Evgenii Dadonov and Nicolas Roy scored in the shootout, and Robin Lehner stopped three of four attempts to help the Knights earn their third consecutive victory and climbed back to .500 overall (4-4).
“It was a crime we weren’t up by more than one early, and I think that was a mistake,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “We ran out of a little bit of gas and lost some momentum there. But I know that will get better, and then (we) found a way to get off the mat.”
Chandler Stephenson had a goal and an assist in the third period, and William Carrier also scored in the third period after being a game-time decision.
The Knights open a four-game road trip starting Tuesday at Toronto.
Troy Terry, Isac Lundestrom and Adam Henrique scored 5:11 apart in the third period to help the Ducks rally from a 4-1 deficit.
Trevor Zegras had the lone goal for the Ducks in the shootout against Lehner.
Reilly Smith knocked in his own rebound after being stopped on a first-period breakaway, and defenseman Nic Hague put the Knights ahead 2-0 at 3:52 of the second period with a drive from the high slot.
Zegras scored at 15:49 of the second period to cut the Knights’ lead in half. Goalie John Gibson was outstanding early when the Knights registered the first 10 shots on goal.
“I think as a team that wants to make the playoffs and go far in it, can’t let a team come back in a game when you’re up 4-1 and 4-2,” winger Jonathan Marchessault said. “It’s disappointing, but for us, what’s happening right now, we’ll take the win at that point.”
Here are three takeaways from the game:
1. High-flying hockey returns
Because of a rash of injuries, the Knights have been forced to play a tighter-checking, closer-to-the-vest style.
That game plan was tossed aside against Anaheim, which entered as the fourth-worst defensive team in the NHL, allowing 3.56 goals per game.
The Knights finished with 21 shots on goal in the first, a season high for shots in a period, and produced 2.68 expected goals despite leading only 1-0.
“I thought when we were fresh at the beginning of the game, I loved our start,” DeBoer said. “It was the first night this week where I thought we had four lines rolling with some momentum.”
2. Marchessault’s key play
After battling frustration early, Marchessault snapped out of his funk in Dallas with the tying goal and added two assists against the Ducks.
His biggest contribution might have come on defense, as he broke up a two-on-one rush in overtime.
Marchessault anticipated Terry would cut toward the middle of the ice, and he stole the puck and nearly sent Alex Pietrangelo in alone.
“He’s been doing that move inside all game, so I kind of knew he was going to drag it and try and pass or a shot there,” Marchessault said. “I was just trying, don’t give him the shot too much and make the pass hard. I was lucky to have a good stick on it and quick transition.”
3. Chosen one
DeBoer noted that other players are ahead of Dadonov in the pecking order for taking a shootout attempt, according to the team’s analytics.
But after he scored an empty-net goal in Colorado and added the overtime winner Wednesday at Dallas, assistant coach Ryan Craig recommended Dadonov to take the shot in the fourth round.
“He’s historically been a streaky scorer, so we put him out there and he got the job done,” DeBoer said. “Good on him and good call by (Craig).”
Dadonov hadn’t scored during the shootout on two previous attempts in his NHL career.
“He just put me there,” Dadonov said. “Try to keep eye on the goalie, what he’s trying to do and find a hole to shoot.”
Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.
