3 takeaways: OT loss to Florida caps empty road trip for Knights

It’s mid-October, so no game is a must-win.

But the Golden Knights, for the second straight game, let one get away.

This one was alarming.

Defenseman Gustav Forsling scored with 17 seconds remaining in overtime, and the Golden Knights had another third-period lead slip away from them in a 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on Saturday in a battle of the past two Stanley Cup champions.

The Knights (3-2-1) took a 3-2 lead 7:30 into the third when left wing Brett Howden forced a turnover in the neutral zone and deked past goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky with a backhand for his third goal of the season.

It was the same situation the Knights found themselves in Thursday when a 3-2 lead quickly flipped to a 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Things should have gone in the Knights’ favor. The Panthers (4-2-1) were down captain Aleksander Barkov (lower body) and star forward Matthew Tkachuk (illness). Because of salary cap constraints, the Panthers iced 17 skaters.

But the short-handed defending champions dominated from that point on.

Florida had a 37-14 edge in shot attempts and outshot the Knights 21-6 in the third period. That effort was rewarded when forward Eetu Luostarinen tied it at 12:43.

“We didn’t take care of the front of the net in the third. We didn’t take care of the front of the net against Tampa,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “That’s probably the common theme.”

Goaltender Ilya Samsonov bailed out his teammates time and again with 45 saves in his second start of the season, but ran out of gas when Forsling finished a one-timer on the weak side from forward Sam Bennett.

Pearson scored his first goal with the Knights, and right wing Keegan Kolesar added his first goal of the season, but the Knights went winless on their three-game road trip (0-2-1) in which they led six times the past two games, but could not hold on for wins.

“I think we did some good things, but just unfortunate this trip not coming out with any wins,” Howden said. “We’re not happy about that.”

The Knights return home Tuesday for a meeting with the Los Angeles Kings. Home cooking might do the Knights good after winning their first three games of the season at T-Mobile Arena.

Any positive feelings would be a good thing given the sour taste left at the end of the trip.

Here are three takeaways from the loss:

1. Forward swap pays off

The Knights’ best line was its fourth because of Cassidy’s switch at left wing.

Pearson was moved down from the second line late in the first period, and it paid dividends. His goal came from his physical play in the defensive zone, forcing a turnover in the offensive zone and letting Roy find him with 33 seconds left.

Pearson contributed to the Knights’ second goal as he threw a puck in front with Kolesar screening Bobrovsky, and Kolesar’s deflection found the far post.

“I’ve liked (Pearson) there,” Cassidy said. “That’s probably where he belongs.”

Howden, who started on the fourth line, moved up with center Tomas Hertl and right wing Pavel Dorofeyev. His play in the third put a cap on a successful decision.

Pearson’s best work has come on the fourth line, but his move up the lineup was in hopes of finding complementary play with Hertl and Dorofeyev. Howden could provide that, though that line was outshot 25-7 at five-on-five when he was moved up.

2. Top line’s quiet night

After running roughshod through five games, the Knights’ top line was held in check.

Center Jack Eichel and captain Mark Stone had their five-game point streaks end, and left wing Ivan Barbashev was held off the score sheet for the second time this season.

The trio couldn’t get anything going offensively. They were outshot 15-10 at five-on-five and were on the ice for right wing Sam Reinhart’s goal that tied it 1:09 into the second period.

They were due for an off night, though it’s surprising it came against a depleted team missing two of its stars.

3. Leaving empty-handed

This was a deflating road trip for the Knights.

They were minutes away from leaving with at least four of a possible six points. The outcome of Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals might have been different had three consecutive tripping penalties not opened the floodgates in the second period.

Instead, they leave with one point.

There’s time for the Knights to iron things out, but at the very least, this should serve as a wake-up call.

“Early in the year on a road trip, you want to bank in some of these points,” Howden said. “To only get one, it’s frustrating, for sure. But we’re heading back home, and we’re going to learn from it.”

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