Penalties sap Golden Knights’ momentum in loss to Anaheim Ducks

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Golden Knights took a 1-0 lead in the second period Friday against the Anaheim Ducks and, with the way both teams were playing, it wasn’t far-fetched to think that might stand.

Then the Knights handed momentum right back to the home team. Defenseman Nate Schmidt and center Tomas Nosek took back-to-back penalties and the Ducks cashed in with two power-play goals.

The penalties shifted the tide of a sloppy game firmly in Anaheim’s favor in a 4-3 loss for the Knights.

“(A) couple penalties killed our momentum in the second period,” Schmidt said. “The first period both teams were just kind of getting their legs under them but it felt like we had a lot of pressure for the first period and a half until we took a couple penalties. And then they rode the momentum after those two power-play goals and scored another quick third one. Then we’re sitting there trying to climb out of a hole.”

Nosek’s four-minute penalty for high sticking Ryan Getzlaf came 1:15 after Schmidt’s tripping minor and gave the Ducks a 5-on-3 power play for 46 seconds.

Anaheim was able to cash in with one second remaining on the two-man advantage. Ducks right wing Jakob Silfverberg faked a shot from the high slot, which drew defenseman Deryk Engelland’s attention.

That opened up enough of a window for Silfverberg to pass to center Adam Henrique, who beat goaltender Malcolm Subban from the bottom of the faceoff circle.

“You give teams that long on a 5-on-3, most teams are going to find a way to capitalize and they did,” Schmidt said.

The Ducks then scored again before Nosek’s penalty was up. The Knights were victims of two unfortunate bounces. The first came when center Sam Steel’s pass bounced off defenseman Brayden McNabb’s skate to defenseman Cam Fowler at the point. And then Fowler’s shot went off Engelland’s left leg, over Subban’s left shoulder and into the net.

“Unfortunately for us, the second one was pretty lucky,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “(We) had to battle back from that and there was still a half a game left. (It) wasn’t good enough.”

The early penalties weren’t done affecting the game. The Knights trailed 2-1 after Fowler’s goal but had gotten back to 5-on-5. They made a critical mistake, though, after seeing the wind taken out of their sails.

The Ducks scored again in 14 seconds as left wing Max Comtois was able to deflect defenseman Jacob Larsson’s shot past Subban. The play gave Anaheim its third goal in 97 seconds, tied for the third-fastest three-goal stretch in franchise history.

The Knights never recovered after that despite Schmidt scoring two late goals to make the final score more flattering. The 97-second stretch defined the game.

Anaheim’s 28th-ranked power play proved to be the difference in a contest where the Knights controlled play 5-on-5. They had a 47-25 edge in shot attempts 5-on-5 and a 25-16 edge in scoring chances.

“That’s what you need from a power play,” Fowler said. “Get momentum for your team. Make teams pay if they’re going to take penalties. We’ve been working really hard on our power play, but it’s nice to see some results coming our way now. It gave our group a little bit of life.”

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Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.