Knights lose goalie duel, but move into tie for division lead
Of course it came down to the goaltenders.
Cam Talbot and Robin Lehner matched each other save for save for most of Thursday’s game between the Minnesota Wild and Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. It was only fitting that they decided the outcome in a shootout.
Talbot prevailed, stopping all three shots to deliver a 3-2 win for the Wild. He got all the support he needed in the shootout from Kevin Fiala, who got a puck past Lehner for the only goal.
The Knights, playing with 10 forwards because of injuries and a suspension, still got a point to move into a tie for first place in the West Division with the Colorado Avalanche.
“I really liked our game,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “We got contributions from everyone. The crowd was great. It’s just one of those nights. We just didn’t stick the puck in the net. You have to give their goalie some credit, too. He made a couple unbelievable saves.”
The Knights started the game short-handed. Right wing Ryan Reaves (upper body) and defenseman Zach Whitecloud (lower body) sat with injuries. Center Chandler Stephenson didn’t play after receiving a three-game suspension Thursday for elbowing in Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings.
But the Knights didn’t play as if they were short two skaters. Instead, they and the Wild went back-and-forth trading chances despite each playing for the second time in two nights.
It was a style the Knights didn’t necessarily love.
“When we’re playing our best, we’re playing five-on-five hockey and we’re a little stingier on giving those rush chances,” right wing Reilly Smith said. “Something that we can look to build on and get better for next game.”
Talbot and Lehner kept the score down despite all the odd-man rushes each team generated. They each made 35 saves, a season high for Lehner and the fourth-highest total of Talbot’s campaign.
Talbot blinked first 3:29 into the first period when center William Karlsson grabbed a loose puck and quickly fired it into the top corner of the net. Wild rookie right wing Kirill Kaprizov answered 4:28 later by deflecting a centering pass from left wing Jordan Greenway past Lehner.
Neither team scored in the second period, but Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb broke the tie 1:39 into the third with his first goal since Nov. 21, 2019.
“Took long enough, for sure,” McNabb said. “I just wanted to settle it down and get it on net, and it went in.”
The Wild responded again. This time, defenseman Jared Spurgeon scored on a four-on-three power-play goal 5:31 into the third period for a 2-2 tie.
Talbot took over from there. The Knights got a power play 33 seconds into overtime but couldn’t get another puck past him. They finished 0-for-4 with the man advantage.
They couldn’t solve Talbot in the shootout, either. Jonathan Marchessault, Shea Theodore and Alex Tuch failed in their attempts, and the Wild improved to 3-1-1 against the Knights.
“We got a great effort,” DeBoer said. “Just unfortunate we didn’t get two points.”
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.
