3 takeaways from Knights’ loss: Lightning strike causes deja vu

It was almost from the same spot in the same situation.

The result was definitely the same. The Golden Knights lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning on a last-minute goal for the second straight season Thursday at Amalie Arena.

The Knights gave up two goals in the final 2:22 to turn a late 3-2 lead into a 4-3 loss. Right wing Nikita Kucherov scored the game winner for the Lightning with 55 seconds remaining, firing a puck from the outside of the left circle that deflected off defenseman Nic Hague’s foot and past goaltender Adin Hill.

The play was similar to right wing Nick Paul’s game winner against the Knights on Dec. 21 last year. Paul’s shot was from the outside of the left circle as well, and came with 1:13 remaining in a 5-4 Tampa Bay win.

Kucherov’s goal Thursday came 1:27 after left wing Brandon Hagel tied the game 3-3.

“We just let our guard down,” captain Mark Stone said. “Two minutes left, you’ve got to find ways to bear down.”

The Knights (3-2-0) needed two third-period goals to tie their game in Tampa Bay (3-0-0) last season. This time, they played a strong road game against a good opponent for 57 minutes before seeing two points slip away.

Defenseman Brayden McNabb, left wing Ivan Barbashev and right wing Pavel Dorofeyev scored for the Knights, who dropped their second straight to begin a three-game road trip.

Hill finished with 21 saves. He’s allowed four goals in three of his four starts.

“We’ve got to be able to finish games and have killer instincts,” McNabb said. “We were playing the right way.”

The Knights found their footing five minutes in.

McNabb scored his first goal on the team’s first shot 5:25 into the first period. Lightning defenseman Janis Moser tied the game 4:55 later after getting behind the Knights’ defense.

Dorofeyev restored his team’s lead with 4:40 left in the first period with a power-play goal. The Knights were seconds away from taking their 2-1 advantage into the first intermission, but a turnover from defenseman Shea Theodore led to a 2-on-1 for Kucherov and left wing Jake Guentzel.

Kucherov scored to tie the game 2-2 with 13 seconds left in the first.

Theodore redeemed himself by finding Barbashev in front 1:59 into the second to put the Knights ahead 3-2. It was Theodore’s second assist of the night.

The Knights were sound defensively from that point on. Even when they took two penalties 50 seconds apart late in the second period, they killed them off.

Coach Bruce Cassidy said he even liked the Knights’ third period a lot. They did almost everything right. Until the end.

Cassidy said the Knights could have done a better job of limiting the Lightning’s rush chances, particularly on their third goal. Hagel found a soft spot and his shot beat Hill in traffic.

The Knights can at least exhale knowing it’s still early in the season. They wrap up their road trip against the Florida Panthers on Saturday in a rematch of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final.

“The little details matter,” McNabb said. “(We’ll) get our minds right and turn the page.”

Here are three takeaways from the loss:

1. Hill robs Kucherov

Hill, despite the loss, made some of his best saves of the season.

He made two spectacular stops on Kucherov in the second period. Hill got his glove on a Kucherov one-timer, then blocked the rebound while on his back.

The saves could be a confidence booster in what’s been a rough start for Hill.

He has an .851 save percentage and 3.81 goals-against average through four starts, but moments like the one against Kucherov show he’s still capable of dazzling plays.

The stops would have been remembered more fondly if not for the Lightning’s comeback.

2. Five-on-three kill

The Knights penalty kill was outstanding when it needed to be Thursday.

Defenseman Zach Whitecloud was whistled for slashing Guentzel with 2:13 remaining in the second period. The Knights were called for too many men 50 seconds later. That gave Tampa Bay a 5-on-3 power play for 1:10. The Knights limited the Lightning to two shots, both saved by Hill. They also blocked four shots during the kill.

3. Eichel hits double figures

Center Jack Eichel’s hot start continued Thursday.

He recorded two assists for his third multipoint game of the season. Eichel already has 10 points in five games. The only other players in double figures are Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (11) and New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (11).

Eichel and Stone each have a five-game point streak to begin the season, tying Stone’s franchise record set in 2021.

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