Golden Knights lose rare game in final minute of regulation
Tuesday provided a rare kind of gut punch for the Golden Knights.
The team was tied with the Colorado Avalanche, a fellow NHL West Division contender, late in the third period at T-Mobile Arena. Overtime seemed inevitable. At least it did until Avalanche center Nazem Kadri elevated the puck past goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury with 40.7 seconds remaining to give Colorado a 3-2 victory in the second game of the four-game series.
It was only the second time in Knights history that they lost in regulation on a goal in the final minute.
“It’s obviously disappointing,” defenseman Alec Martinez said. “You want to win hockey games, especially against clubs like that.”
The only regulation loss comparable to Tuesday’s was last season at the Detroit Red Wings. The Knights led 2-1 entering the third period before Detroit defenseman Madison Bowey tied the score with 9:03 left.
Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha then beat goaltender Malcolm Subban with 31 seconds left to give his team an improbable victory.
The Knights have been on the other end of a game like that once. Defenseman Shea Theodore scored a power-play goal with three seconds remaining to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 19, 2017, in a game that signaled to many the team would be a force in its inaugural season.
The Knights experienced the exact opposite Tuesday. They erased a 2-1 deficit entering the third period and looked to be taking control. They had a chance to create some separation in the standings, but instead had nothing to show for their inspired effort.
“It’s a shame to lose the game after a (third) period like that and trailing by one goal against such a good team,” left wing Max Pacioretty. “However, we have the opportunity to play them a couple more times in a pretty fun setting, so on to the next one.”
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
1. Power play stays hot
The Knights’ power play is rolling after a sluggish start to the season.
Pacioretty scored a power-play goal in the second period to give the team four in its last three games. The Knights had only five power-play goals on 35 opportunities in their first 11 games.
Second-year center Cody Glass continues to give the team’s first unit a boost. Glass didn’t get an assist on Pacioretty’s goal, but he helped by screening goaltender Philipp Grubauer.
“It’s not often you get a player that’s that special on the power play,” Pacioretty said. “It’s not always plays that are on the scoresheet, but it definitely helps out our unit.”
2. Tuch hops on PK
The Knights took three minor penalties in the first period, and in a surprising development, left wing Alex Tuch was on the first penalty killing unit over the boards twice.
Tuch isn’t typically part of the team’s penalty kill rotation, but was needed with center Tomas Nosek in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols. He played 2:11 short-handed in the first after receiving just 4:20 of PK time in the previous 13 games.
The Knights attempted more shots (two) than the Avalanche (one) when Tuch was on the ice short-handed.
“The thing you like about him is his speed allows him to make up a lot of ground if he puts himself in a tough spot,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “That speed is obviously his best weapon, and when he adds the detail of the penalty kill to it, he’s an effective guy.”
3. Extra intensity
It’s obvious how seriously the Knights and Avalanche are taking the series. It doesn’t feel like two teams meeting a quarter of the way through the season.
An area that shows up is in blocked shots. The Knights had 23 on Tuesday, seven above their season average. Colorado’s 22 was 10 above its season average.
“It still feels like a regular-season game, but they’re the best team we’ve played so far,” captain Mark Stone said. “They’re one of the top offenses in the league and have one of the three best players in the world (center Nathan MacKinnon).”
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.
