3 takeaways: Eichel’s new line powers Knights’ win over Utah — PHOTOS
Center Jack Eichel had a goal and two assists in the Golden Knights’ 5-2 preseason win over the Utah Hockey Club at T-Mobile Arena on Friday.
The Knights played a majority of their NHL regulars, making their preseason debut. It was the first showing of Eichel’s new line with left wing Ivan Barbashev and right wing Victor Olofsson, with the three combining for eight shots on goal.
It was also the first game for the Knights’ new top defensive pair of Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore, with Theodore moving to the left side as opposed to the right that he’s been on for most of his career.
Pietrangelo had a goal and an assist, while Theodore had an assist.
Goaltender Adin Hill made 14 saves in his preseason debut for the Knights, who improved to 2-1-0 in the exhibition slate.
Pietrangelo got the Knights on the board with a power-play goal at 14:02 of the second period to tie it 1-1. Utah opened the scoring seven minutes earlier on a power-play goal in the waning seconds of Barbashev’s hooking penalty.
Eichel’s goal at 17:56 tied it 2-2 and came 1:10 after Utah center Ryan McGregor scored. Eichel received a cross-ice pass from Pietrangelo during a four-on-four and snapped one past Utah goaltender Matt Villalta.
The Knights put it away with two goals in a 29-second span midway through the third period.
Left wing Pavel Dorofeyev broke the tie at 6:17 when center Tanner Laczynski backhanded a loose puck to Dorofeyev in front of the crease. Right wing Keegan Kolesar scored at 6:46 after finishing a centering pass from left wing Tanner Pearson to make it 4-2.
Barbashev added a goal at 16:40 on a one-timer from Eichel for the final score.
“Just a good third period,” Kolesar said. “For us, we found our game in the third period there, and we saw the results, the goals started to come for us.”
Coach Bruce Cassidy wanted a cleaner start compared to Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. It was clean by the standards of the Knights, allowing close to nothing defensively while holding Utah to three shots in the first period.
“At the end of the day, we weren’t bad like L.A. where we were chasing the game,” Cassidy said.
Offense came around eventually, but it was the Knights’ bottom six that provided the spark early. The AHL line of left wing Jonas Rondbjerg, center Jakub Brabenec and right wing Mason Morelli generated two of the best shifts and scoring chances of the first 20 minutes.
Ultimately, the Knights’ star power took over.
It wasn’t as busy of a night for Hill compared to the 27-save effort from Ilya Samsonov on Wednesday, but he fared well in the shots he saw. The only blemish was McGregor’s goal that Hill couldn’t track stick side.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
1. Dorofeyev’s strong game
It wasn’t just the goal that triggered the 23-year-old’s impressive night.
Dorofeyev was noticeable on two stints on the second power-play unit, including a no-look pass from behind the goal in the first period that nearly set up a scoring chance in front.
Dorofeyev was set up at the half wall, where Eichel normally operates, and looked to be a threat each time he had the puck. His confidence continues to evolve each time the offense goes through him. That’ll grow if he finds a home on the second unit.
“We expect him to score some goals and pick up the slack and advance in his game,” Cassidy said. “Sometimes, those guys need power play time to help them with that. That’s something we’ve got to be mindful of. He’s definitely in that mix.”
2. PK struggles continue
The Knights allowed a power-play goal for the third straight game with the penalty kill now 8-for-12 (66 percent) in the preseason.
Not much stock can be placed on the special teams since the full unit has yet to play a game, but given the power-play goal came in the final seconds — and was due to Pietrangelo and Hill getting tangled up in the crease — the Knights finished strong and killed the other three penalties.
3. Off to Montana
The Knights will be off the next two days as they take their annual preseason trip to Deer Lodge, Montana, to Rock Creek Cattle Company, team governor Bill Foley’s luxury ranch.
The players will return to practice Monday with the expectation of another round of roster cuts before Tuesday’s game against Colorado.
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.