Golden Knights can’t overcome second-period struggles in loss

GLENDALE, Ariz. — One of the traits coach Pete DeBoer liked about the Golden Knights in the postseason was their play during the second period.

He’s mentioned it twice in the past week, once after the Knights swept two games at home against the Anaheim Ducks to open the season and again Friday following their first loss.

“I thought we really put teams on their heels and controlled possession of the puck,” DeBoer said of the postseason version of the Knights. “Out-changed teams, really caught them flat-footed. I think we took a lot of pride in that, and we haven’t established that piece of our game yet.”

The Knights got away with their second-period struggles in the first four games, but weren’t able to overcome them in a 5-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena before an announced crowd of 2,712.

After Knights defenseman Shea Theodore tied the score at 1 early in the second period, Arizona responded with goals from Derick Brassard and Nick Schmaltz to take control heading into the third.

The Knights have been outscored 5-3 in the middle period after five games, an issue that has been masked by their outstanding play in the third.

In the season opener, the Knights were outshot 8-6 by Anaheim and held off the scoreboard in the second period before erupting for three goals.

The Knights had an 11-7 advantage in shots over the Ducks in the second game, but DeBoer remarked the following day that Anaheim “pinned us in in the second periods the last two games, which traditionally we kind of owned.”

The Coyotes also dominated for much of the second Monday and finished the period with a 15-7 advantage in shots on goal, but Max Pacioretty’s goal late sparked a third-period comeback.

The teams played to a virtual standstill in the second period Wednesday, but Arizona owned the period on home ice Friday. In addition to the goals by Brassard and Schmaltz, Knights goalie Robin Lehner turned aside Clayton Keller and Schmaltz on breakaways.

The Coyotes have a plus-5 goal differential in the second period, second-best in the NHL.

“We got burnt on (Brassard’s goal) for a change, but I think that just comes down to managing the puck better,” Theodore said. “We have to know what situations we’re in. I think sometimes we get a little too cute around the blue line in terms of getting the puck in. I think we just have to bear down on those kind of plays, and that should clean up our game a little bit.”

Here are three more takeaways from the loss:

1. Heat check

Theodore scored his third goal in the past two games, and the defenseman shows no signs of slowing down.

On the play, Theodore made a great read along the wall and took the puck from Conor Garland. He then walked into the slot and beat Arizona goalie Darcy Kuemper up top.

Theodore leads all NHL defensemen in goals (three) and is tied for second with six points, one behind Montreal’s Jeff Petry.

“I’m trying to just keep throwing pucks on the net,” Theodore said. “I’ve been getting a lot of bounces, but the takeaway from tonight, it’s just the defensive game has to sharpen up. I think myself can be a lot better, as can the team.”

2. Original lineup

The Knights went back to the lineup they used on opening night with 13 forwards and five defensemen, and Cody Glass came through with a power-play goal in the third period after being reinserted into the lineup.

But Keegan Kolesar’s role as the 13th forward continued to mystify, as he logged seven shifts for 3:47 of ice time. With the Knights trailing in the third period, he played 56 seconds.

In fairness, Kolesar did have a grade-A chance in the second period that he was unable to convert. He had four shots attempts (two on goal) and two hits.

3. Fire away

Jonathan Marchessault is never shy about shooting the puck, which makes his numbers in that department stand out.

After scoring 1:07 into the first period of the opener on his first shot of the season, Marchessault managed four shots on goal over the next three games. That’s not good enough.

“I’ve got to start shooting the puck a little bit more,” Marchessault said after Friday’s morning skate. “I don’t have a lot of chances, and I have to make sure I’m in those positions to be able to shoot more. That’s how we create more chances and we recover pucks.”

Marchessault finished with three shots on goal and five shot attempts in 13:52 of ice time Friday.

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.