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Golden Knights drop second straight, fall 2-1 to Rangers

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Vegas Golden Knights suffered their second consecutive loss in a 2-1 decision against the New York Rangers Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Just two days after getting shut out by the Islanders, the Golden Knights managed just one goal on 30 shots against Igor Shesterkin and the Blueshirts.

The Golden Knights have lost two in a row for the first time since mid-November and are in the midst of a rare scoring slump. They are now 28-11-3 on the year and 3-2-0 in 2025.

After a scoreless opening frame, the Golden Knights grabbed a 1-0 lead on a power-play strike by Mark Stone, who lit the lamp just eight seconds into the first power play of the game 6:16 into the second.

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However, the Rangers quickly neutralized that lead with a power-play goal of their own. Vincent Trocheck reset the score shortly before the midway point of the period with his 14th of the year.

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Vegas scored another last-second goal at the tail end of the period, but Noah Hanifin’s go-ahead goal did not cross the goal line until after the buzzer sounded.

Both Shesterkin and Ilya Samsonov came up with some massive saves throughout the contest, but the game-winner came off the stick of Adam Edstrom on a brilliant deflection in front of the net. Edstrom gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead at 5:57 of the third period, and Vegas was unable to net the equalizer.

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Though the Golden Knights had plenty of time in the offensive zone, including on an extended 6-on-4 with the goalie pulled, they were unable to beat Shesterkin to force extra time.

The Golden Knights held the Rangers to just two shots on goal in the third period, generating 11 of their own, but it wasn’t enough to come away with the win. They held a 7-3 edge in scoring chances and 23-8 advantage in Corsi with an 83.26 percent expected goal share, but they generated just two high-danger chances in the final frame, ultimately falling short.

Samsonov had another strong game, turning aside 24 of 26 shots for a .923 save percentage. He and the Golden Knights played well defensively, but, for the second game in a row, Vegas was a little off at the other end of the rink.

Vegas has faced two of the top goalies in the league in the last two games, and the Golden Knights have not benefited from much puck luck. That being said, Vegas will need to simplify its game, get more bodies to the net and find a way to break through.

The Golden Knights will look to come away with the final two points up for grabs on this three-game homestand when they host the Minnesota Wild tomorrow night.

Statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.