3 takeaways: Knights stay hot at home, romp past Sharks — PHOTOS
Teams don’t normally have morning skates on the second leg of a back-to-back.
Coach Bruce Cassidy felt the Golden Knights needed it after what was called an “awful” performance by many 24 hours prior, even in a win. The team agreed it needed to happen.
Turns out it was the right call, with the Knights using a three-goal first period to propel them to a sixth straight home win, a 7-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.
The Knights needed a late third-period rally Friday to defeat the Ottawa Senators 6-4. They scored three times in 1:25 for a shocking Nevada Day victory.
There would be no need for heroics this time around. The Knights only needed the first 20 minutes to put the game away.
Left wing Tanner Pearson and center Jack Eichel scored 1:50 apart, and left wing Brett Howden scored his first of two goals with 3:14 left in the frame to cap off a dominant period for the Knights (6-2-1), who outshot the Sharks 22-4 in the first period.
“That was probably our best period of the season, for whatever reason,” Cassidy said.
Captain Mark Stone had a goal and two assists, center William Karlsson scored, and right wing Pavel Dorofeyev added to the Knights’ goals.
There were reasons for the Knights to have at least a skate.
They had to integrate Karlsson back into the fold as he made his season debut after missing the first eight games with an undisclosed injury. Goaltender Ilya Samsonov made 23 saves after going the past two days with no practice, so reps were needed.
“It’s not too often of a scenario,” Pearson said, adding that playing at 3 p.m. Friday allowed for more recovery time. “It was good to get more reps.”
It wasn’t like the Knights needed all that much help to begin with.
The Sharks (0-7-2) lost their ninth straight to put cold water on a season they hoped would have promise. No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini is week to week with a lower-body injury and has not played since the season opener.
San Jose also added a number of veterans in the offseason, such as right wing Tyler Toffoli and defenseman Cody Ceci, but that hasn’t moved the needle.
The Knights overpowered the Sharks from the jump and overwhelmed goaltender Vitek Vanecek with seven goals on a season-high 42 shots.
They’ve at least taken care of business at home. The Knights scored at least five times for the fourth time in six home games and have scored 19 goals in their past three games.
The Knights will try to put a cap on this four-game homestand when they host the Calgary Flames at 7 p.m. Monday.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
1. Karlsson’s debut
The Original Misfit made a strong first impression in his season debut.
Karlsson scored a short-handed goal and had the primary assist on Pearson’s goal in his first game action since Game 7 of last season’s first round against the Dallas Stars on May 5.
The Knights placed right wing Victor Olofsson on injured reserve before activating Karlsson. He replaced Cole Schwindt in the lineup.
“It’s never fun sitting on the side,” Karlsson said. “To be back brings happiness.”
Karlsson missed all of the preseason and the first eight games with an undisclosed injury. Rust didn’t appear to be a factor. He looked explosive as ever carrying the puck through the neutral zone.
The Knights have always been deep at center, even with Karlsson out. With their best two-way center back in the fold, that may help with the defensive deficiencies they’ve faced to start the year.
2. Pietrangelo picking apples
The homestand has been especially good to Alex Pietrangelo.
The veteran defenseman added two more assists Saturday, giving him eight in his past three games. Pietrangelo has 11 on the season and has yet to score a goal.
Pietrangelo has been effective no matter who he’s been paired with, whether it be Shea Theodore or Noah Hanifin. He’s a plus-10 at five-on-five this season.
The 34-year-old had 29 assists all of last season. He’s on pace to have one of his best offensive seasons yet.
3. Hertl’s revenge
Center Tomas Hertl extended his point streak to three games with two assists in his first game against his former team.
Hertl faced the Sharks for the first time since they traded him to the Knights at last season’s trade deadline on March 11. Hertl had 484 points in 11-plus seasons with the Sharks.
The 30-year-old center had a slow start to the season, but he has seven points (three goals, four assists) on this homestand.
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.