3 takeaways: Knights rally past Utah, finish perfect fathers trip
Perhaps the Golden Knights’ fathers have special powers.
Because it doesn’t matter how many goals they’re down by, or how many forwards they’re missing. The Knights find ways to win.
The Knights played with 10 forwards for most of the third period, but they rallied from two goals down to defeat the Utah Hockey Club 4-2 at Delta Center on Friday.
The Knights (11-4-2) won for the eighth time in 11 games and swept their annual fathers trip that included a 3-2 win in Anaheim on Wednesday. They’re 11-0-1 all-time during their dads trips, in which their fathers go on the road with the team.
And in no way did the Knights have any business being in the game Friday.
Utah (7-7-3) dominated play for the first 30 minutes, and the Knights couldn’t muster a response. They had to rely on goaltender Adin Hill being at his best to keep them in it.
Hill did his part with 32 saves. His teammates caught up.
Center Tomas Hertl started the comeback with two power-play goals – at 13:37 of the second and 8:23 of the third – and center William Karlsson finished it with the go-ahead goal with 1:18 to go, then an empty-netter with 30 seconds left.
“In the third, eventually, we found it,” coach Bruce Cassidy said.
The Knights began the night with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, an instance that doesn’t happen often due to salary cap constraints. Cassidy experimented early with defenseman Kaedan Korczak playing forward to carry some sort of balance.
“Different for sure,” Korczak said. “I don’t remember the last time I played up front. There’s a reason I’m on the back end.”
Not that it was Korczak’s fault, but the Knights didn’t have that balance in the first period and were outshot 16-9. Utah got rewarded with center Logan Cooley scoring at 11:16 to make it 1-0.
“Not a good first,” Karlsson said. “(Hill) did keep us in the game.”
But with Utah leading 2-1 going into the third, the Knights’ resolve was tested more. Center Nicolas Roy was given a two-minute minor for instigating, a five-minute penalty for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct after responding to Utah defenseman Ian Cole’s neutral-zone hit on Hertl.
Roy served 17 penalty minutes with 15:42 remaining.
The Knights killed Roy’s two-minute penalty, then Hertl scored his second power-play goal two minutes later to tie it.
“That’s the hand we were dealt tonight,” Cassidy said. “Most guys want to play. That was the case tonight, and I think they relished the opportunity.”
The Knights needed these kind of responses after what happened Monday in the 5-2 loss at home to Carolina.
Neither game was perfect, but the formula for both worked as well as they could hope. Hill has looked like his old form the past two games. The power play continues to be a threat, with scoring a goal on the man advantage in 13 of 17 games. They’ve had to do so with captain Mark Stone staying out of the lineup due to a lower-body injury.
But they found ways to win, and any confidence is welcomed with a matchup with the red-hot Washington Capitals (11-4-1) coming to T-Mobile Arena on Sunday.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
1. Hertl Power (play)
It’s been a weird season for Hertl. His five-on-five play hasn’t garnered the success he would like. Friday was the first time he was a net-positive (plus-1) since Oct. 26.
But if there’s one person you can give credit to the Knights’ power-play success, it’s Hertl.
Six of his seven goals and nine of his 15 points have come on the man advantage. His ability to park in front of the crease to be a lethal net-front presence is one of many reasons why the Knights have the second-best power play in the league.
2. On top of the Hill
The Knights’ goaltender needed the last two performances in a big way.
His teammates were disappointed in themselves for him getting pulled against the Hurricanes after giving up four goals on 21 shots. Hill answered with back-to-back efforts of allowing two goals each.
Hill has talked about never complaining about more reps. He’s had to go more often with Ilya Samsonov battling his way back after dealing with soreness that’s kept him out since the beginning of November.
Hill will likely get a day off soon in the coming days. Maybe not Sunday, as he faces former goalie partner Logan Thompson and Washington.
3. Schwindt stays ready
Center Cole Schwindt continues to make it difficult for Cassidy to take him out of the lineup.
Schwindt picked up his fifth assist of the season on Karlsson’s winning goal, and it started with him holding onto the puck long enough to find Korczak and for him to give Karlsson a chance to deflect it.
The 23-year-old waiver claim is a plus-6 in 14 games. He continues to show his value as a responsible, high-IQ player. He’s proving there is a spot for him somewhere down the road.
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.