The Vegas Golden Knights (16-6-10) lost a close battle against the New Jersey Devils (19-14-1), falling 2-1 in the shootout Wednesday night at T-Mobile Arena.
The Golden Knights were without Jack Eichel (illness) and Shea Theodore (upper-body injury), though Jeremy Lauzon was activated from injured reserve and returned to the lineup for the first time since Nov. 15. He recorded one shot, one hit and two blocks in 13:52, though he managed to record yet another minor penalty (a boarding call in the first period).
However, Bruce Cassidy indicated after the game that he’s not sure how much time Eichel will miss, which would be a concerning development for the Golden Knights.
The second meeting of the season between the Golden Knights Devils was a goaltending duel throughout, with Jake Allen and Carter Hart giving up a combined two goals on 70 shots in 65 minutes of hockey. In the end, however, the Devils won the skills competition 1-0 thanks to a gorgeous backhand by Jesper Bratt in the second round of the shootout.
The Golden Knights have now gone to overtime 14 times in 32 games this season; tonight was the 10th time Vegas failed to earn the extra point.
It was an entertaining game despite the low score, with both teams generating chances and both teams getting timely saves.
After a scoreless first period, Connor Brown opened the scoring 4:50 into the middle frame to put the Devils on top 1-0, deking around Hart after capitalizing on a Vegas turnover. It was the first time New Jersey led against Vegas this year after the Golden Knights shut out the Devils 3-0 at Produential Center earlier this month.
It was the lone goal of the frame, which remained 1-0 after 40 minutes, with Vegas leading 25-20 in shots.
The Golden Knights continued to push late in the third period, eventually drawing a penalty for a critical man-advantage with just under five minutes remaining.
It took them 47 seconds to reset the score.
A familiar play led to the all-important equalizer, as Mark Stone set up Pavel Dorofeyev for the power-play strike. It was a slick move by Stone, who won a loose puck battle before finding Vegas’ go-to specialist for the backdoor tally. Dorofeyev is now tied for second in the NHL with nine power-play goals on the year.
At 1-1, the two clubs headed to overtime. Both teams traded chances, with Allen turning aside Tomas Hertl’s bid from the slot, and Noah Hanifin blocking Bratt’s attempt on the next play. Stone then drew a hooking penalty on Dawson Mercer along the boards, setting up a Vegas power play with 1:53 remaining.
The Devils boxed out well, keeping the Golden Knights to the perimeter early on, though Mitch Marner hit the post. After a whistle, the Golden Knights had multiple chances in quick succession, with two more pucks hitting iron. The final chance came from Stone in front with 20 seconds on the clock, but the Golden Knights ultimately were unable to break through.
As had been the case all night, the goalies played well in the shootout. Former Golden Knights forward Paul Cotter went first but was denied by Hart, and Allen followed that up with a stop on Dorofeyev. Bratt then scored a beauty on the backhand to give the Devils the 1-0 edge.
Attempts by Stone and Dougie Hamilton were turned aside, putting the game on Marner’s stick in the third round.
While the puck did cross the goal line, it entered the net on a deflection, which is not allowed in a shootout. Allen poke-checked the puck, which then deflected off Marner’s skate and into the net. It was waived off immediately, thus ending the Golden Knights’ evening and giving the visitors the extra point. Marner is now 0-for-5 on the shootout this season.
All things considered, the Golden Knights competed. They went up against Allen at his best, and though they were unable to generate much at 5-on-5, they came through with a clutch power-play goal for the equalizer.
Despite missing Eichel and Theodore (who were, in fact, sorely missed), Vegas still had plenty of chances to win this game, including three posts in overtime. The third chance was so close that Mercer stood up in the penalty box, presumably because he assumed the game was over.
However, the Golden Knights couldn’t quite cash in on that opportunity, and Allen was sharp the rest of the way. His poke-check on Marner in the shootout was aggressive but proved to be a well-timed risk.
Hart delivered another solid performance in net, finishing the game with 32 saves on 33 shots for a .970 save percentage (Allen stopped 36 of 37). Hart is now 3-0-2 with a 2.26 goals-against average and .917 save percentage in five starts.
The Golden Knights may not have come away with two points, but the loss still extended their point streak to eight games, and Vegas has earned at least one point in every game this month.
The Golden Knights have a few days off before heading out for a back-to-back in Alberta starting Saturday against the Flames.
Though Eichel missed this game due to illness, Cassidy’s comments after the game are concerning regarding the status of Vegas’ elite center, who leads the team with 41 points in 31 games. Cassidy labeled Eichel as day-to-day earlier on Wednesday, but it now seems possible that he may not travel with the team on its upcoming road trip. While the postgame comments were far from definitive, it would be a massive loss for the Golden Knights to be without their star center for any amount of time.
All eyes will be on Eichel in the coming days.
Photo courtesy of @NJDevils on X