It had been a December to Remember for the Vegas Golden Knights, but 2024 finished on a sour note as Vegas gave up three unanswered goals in a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens Tuesday afternoon at T-Mobile Arena.
The Golden Knights led 2-0 after the first period but proceeded to give up three consecutive goals, including two in the span of just 2:11 in the third period.
The Golden Knights wrapped up the month with a 10-2-0 record but saw their six-game winning streak come to an end in the franchise’s first-ever loss on New Year’s Eve.
Adin Hill made 19 saves on 22 shots for an .864 save percentage; it wasn’t a particularly sharp performance for Hill, though the Golden Knights got burned by turnovers and were outmuscled by Montreal’s forecheck in a passive overall effort.
For the fourth game in a row, the Golden Knights were the first to light the lamp.
Zach Whitecloud scored his first goal since the season opener to lift Vegas to an early 1-0 lead just 2:23 into the contest.
Despite the strong start, it was a sleepy opening frame for the Golden Knights, who went more than 14 minutes without a shot. When they finally did get a shot on goal, however, they made it count.
With just 12 seconds remaining in the period, Noah Hanifin collected a loose puck in the slot and beat Sam Montembeault to give Vegas a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.
The Golden Knights threatened to extend the lead in the second period, especially with several promising chances on the only power play of the game. However, they were unable to sneak one past Montembeault.
Instead, Montreal scored a big goal late in the period off a turnover from behind the net.
With 3:33 remaining in the second, former Golden Knights forward Nick Suzuki set up Cole Caufield’s 100th career goal to cut the deficit in half.
Pavel Dorofeyev roofed a shot past Montembeault at the tail end of the period, but the puck didn’t cross the goal line until well after the clock struck zero, keeping it a 2-1 game after two.
The Canadiens took over in the third period, scoring two goals in 2:11 to take a 3-2 lead midway through the frame.
First, Emil Heineman scored on a rebound that bounced over Hill and into the net.
Then, Montreal took advantage of another Vegas turnover at the blue line, which sprung a 2-on-1 for Josh Anderson and Kibry Dach. Dach’s attempted centering pass ended up between the pads of Hill for the go-ahead goal.
After surrendering three unanswered tallies, the Golden Knights found themselves in need of a goal with 9:49 remaining in regulation. However, the Golden Knights didn’t generate a dangerous chance until the end of the period.
The Golden Knights pulled Hill with two minutes to go, and Vegas ultimately got two great chances late. However, Montembeault stoned Hanifin and then robbed Victor Olofsson with around 10 seconds left.
In the end, the Golden Knights were unable to recover, falling 3-2 to close out 2024.
It wasn’t a strong showing for the Golden Knights, who committed too many turnovers and failed to hold on to the lead, throwing away two points that were there for the taking.
“I know when I watch it, I’m gonna be pissed,” Bruce Cassidy said. “Those are points we should have had. We’re a better team than that, but [the points] are gone.”
Vegas had plenty of chances to take control of the game, but Montreal continued to push when Vegas took its foot off the gas. Even though the Canadiens only recorded 22 shots on goal, they capitalized on Vegas mistakes.
The two top lines went head to head for much of the contest, but the Suzuki, Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky trio got the better of the Jack Eichel unit.
Though the Vegas blue line accounted for both goals, the Golden Knights got caught from behind too many times. Montembeault played well, and Montreal’s relentless forecheck was the star of the game.
The Golden Knights, now 25-9-3 on the year, will look to rebound when they host the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.