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Golden Knights drop second straight in overtime in 2-1 loss to Blue Jackets

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Vegas Golden Knights wrapped up a difficult month of hockey with a 6-6-3 record following a 2-1 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets Thursday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Cole Sillinger scored 52 seconds into extra time to lift the road team to victory, forcing the Golden Knights to finish their three-game homestand with a 1-0-2 record.

Tomas Hertl opened the scoring 4:58 into the game with his 20th goal of the season, extending his personal point streak to 11 games.

But Adam Fantilli evened things up at 1-1 with a late goal, beating Ilya Samsonov with 1:26 remaining in the opening frame after Samsonov failed to cover the puck.

The two clubs went scoreless in the second and third periods, largely thanks to some stellar goaltending by Elvis Merzļikins, who flashed leather multiple times and ultimately turned aside the final 23 Vegas shots following Hertl’s first-period tally.

Samsonov was the only goalie to face any shots in the extra frame after both teams secured a point beyond regulation.

The game-winner followed a turnover by Alex Pietrangelo, which led to a breakaway for the Blue Jackets. Though Samsonov stopped the first two attempts, he was unable to prevent the third off the stick of Sillinger.

Samsonov didn’t have much help, as Pietrangelo, Jack Eichel and Hertl were ineffective on the backcheck.

It was the second game in a row in which things fell apart early for the Golden Knights in overtime.

All three Columbus players had chances to score, with Kent Johnson taking the initial shot on the breakaway, Zach Werenski following up on the rebound and Sillinger eventually finishing off the play in front of an exposed net.

By contrast, all three Vegas players were out of position, with Pietrangelo unable to catch Johnson and then overshooting the net, Eichel failing to tie up his man and then abandoning the front of the crease and Hertl casually trailing the play. Samsonov was unable to recover after shutting down not one but two wide-open attempts.

This came one game after Dallas’ Wyatt Johnston completed the hat trick on an empty cage when Eichel and Adin Hill overcommitted to Roope Hintz on the other side.

Samsonov finished the Columbus game with 22 saves on 24 shots for a .917 save percentage.

The Golden Knights recorded just one goal on 26 shots in another instance where 5-on-5 scoring was lacking. But there was a game within the game, depending on who was on the ice.

When Vegas’ top six was out there, the Golden Knights had a ton of chances and seemed to be on the verge of taking over the game. Merzlikins prevented that on many occasions, making a few particularly strong saves on Shea Theodore, who was effortlessly dancing his way in and around the opposing defenders all night. Specifically, Vegas led 27-17 in Corsi, 14-6 in shots and 1-0 in goals with the top two lines on the ice.

But it was a different story when the Golden Knights’ bottom six hopped over the boards. In those instances, Columbus held a 15-7 lead in Corsi, a 9-1 edge in shots and a 1-0 advantage in goals.

Of the 34 Vegas shot attempts at 5-on-5, the bottom six accounted for just seven, per Natural Stat Trick. Meanwhile, the top two lines were responsible for the other 27.

Further, of the 15 shots recorded by Vegas forwards at 5-on-5, just one came courtesy of someone from the bottom six (Tanner Pearson). The other five forwards — Nicolas Roy, Brett Howden, Keegan Kolesar, Raphael Lavoie and Callahan Burke — did not generate a single shot.

The same was true of Vegas’ red-hot power play, which managed one scoring chance but zero shots on its only opportunity. The penalty kill took care of Columbus’ lone man-advantage, but no penalties were called beyond the opening frame.

In the end, it was an underwhelming finish to an underwhelming month. The fact that the overtime goal came as a direct result of a blatant Vegas turnover was in line with one of the top trends from the last four weeks of hockey.

“It was a .500 month,” Bruce Cassidy said. “That’s not what we’re aiming for. … But if that turns out to be your worst month, you’re gonna be in good shape.”

It’s worth noting that half of Vegas’ six wins in the month came in the first three games of the new year, meaning Vegas has gone 3-6-3 in its last 12 matchups. But for as poorly as many of those games turned out, the Golden Knights still came away with 15 points and maintained a playoff spot. They are currently tied with Edmonton with 68 points, though the Oilers have a game in hand.

But the loss to Columbus also featured a few other common themes that have plagued Vegas throughout this recent rough patch, including inconsistent play in front of both nets as well as an inability to get to the interior of the ice. The latter was something Vegas did well in the first period against the Blue Jackets but did not follow up the rest of the way.

“In the middle of the season, it becomes harder to get [to the inside], and it’s more work, and your body’s probably as sore as it’s been in a while,” Cassidy said. “It’s not unique to the Vegas Golden Knights. It’s that time of year.”

Cassidy added that the “will” to get to the middle of the ice “has to come back again, and hopefully it comes back sooner than later. … It’s a battle of wills right now to do it, so we’ve got to push through that.”

Eichel did drive to the net late in the second period, creating a rebound that Barbashev tapped into the open net. However, the goal was waived off immediately due to obvious goaltender interference, as Eichel not only drove to the net but also drove through the crease and right into Merzlikins.

Aside from his lackluster backcheck in overtime, Hertl continues to be a bright spot for the Golden Knights. He has points in 11 straight and eight goals in his last eight games. Significantly, he seems to have finally found legitimate chemistry with linemates Pavel Dorofeyev and Victor Olofsson.

Hertl’s elevated play hasn’t been enough to stabilize the Golden Knights’ inconsistencies, but he has been a key contributor and will need to continue to be a factor moving forward.

The Golden Knights have a critical four-game road swing against the Rangers, Islanders, Devils and Bruins next week. It won’t be easy, but the Golden Knights need to pick up some points ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off break.