The Vegas Golden Knights clawed their way back into the game time and time again but were unable to pull even, falling 6-5 to the Los Angeles Kings Sunday night at T-Mobile Arena.
Tomas Hertl led the way with his first hat trick with Vegas, but the Golden Knights were unable to recover from a rough start that put them in a three-goal hole. Despite scoring five goals, Vegas never led.
The Golden Knights (38-19-6) finished their five-game homestand with a 4-1-0 record and now lead Edmonton by four points in the Pacific Division standings. Vegas has won seven of nine since the 4 Nations Face-Off break, with both losses coming courtesy of the Kings.
The previous loss, a 5-2 decision on Feb. 24, ended with the Kings scoring four unanswered goals in the third period. In tonight’s matchup, it was Los Angeles, once again, that ran up the score. Anze Kopitar and Brandt Clarke scored in the opening 20 minutes, and Quinto Byfield made it 3-0 on the Kings’ first shot of the second period.
But the Golden Knights began to find their game in the middle frame, first with a feisty scrap between Nicolas Hague and Samuel Helenius and then with two straight tallies.
Nicolas Roy got Vegas on the board five minutes into the second on a strong shift by the fourth line, which featured Victor Olofsson in his return to the lineup.
In his 900th career game, Reilly Smith recorded the secondary helper on the play for his first point in his second stint with Vegas.
Kings netminder David Rittich made a few key stops as Vegas continued to push, but he didn’t have an answer for Hertl’s fadeaway riser, which brought Vegas within one. It was Hertl’s 50th point of the season, a feat he has now accomplished four times in his career.
But with 1:09 remaining in the second, the Kings lit the lamp once again as Warren Foegele made his way behind the Vegas defense and beat Adin Hill to make it 4-2.
It was a tough goal to surrender late, especially considering Vegas controlled play throughout the period, leading 17-7 in shots.
For the third period in a row, the Kings struck first in the final frame, as Trevor Moore scored a dandy to put the Kings up by three just 4:02 in.
The two clubs traded goals, with Hertl netting his second of the contest at 8:28. It was the ever-dangerous Jack Eichel to Mark Stone to Hertl power-play combo that has made Vegas’ man-advantage so successful this year, and it marked Hertl’s 12th power-play goal of the season, setting a new franchise record.
But Adrian Kempe got in behind the defense less than two minutes later to restore Los Angeles’ three-goal lead. The goal came on the power play, but Kempe was allowed to skate right into the zone unimpeded, and he made Vegas pay.
The back-and-forth action continued, as the Golden Knights had an answer of their own for Kempe’s tally. Brandon Saad scored for the second game in a row to make it a two-goal game with 8:27 remaining.
At the time of the goal, Vegas had just two shots on goal in the period, but both found the back of the net.
With Hill on the bench, Stone came close to scoring on the rebound but was robbed by Rittich. However, Stone later found Hertl, who completed the hat trick on a one-timer from the doorstep to make it a one-goal game with 2:13 on the clock.
The Golden Knights fought until the bitter end but were unable to net the equalizer. Instead, the Kings held on for the 6-5 win.
The Golden Knights were not ready at the start of the game. Not remotely. The Kings were absolutely dominant in the first period, winning battles and races and leading 16-7 in shots, 19-2 in scoring chances and 8-1 in high-danger chances.
Bruce Cassidy put it best: “We didn’t compete in the first period.”
That wasn’t true in the second, as Hague dropped the gloves to spark the team, and Vegas responded with two goals and the better of the play.
The Kings’ fourth goal was one of several goals that threatened to kill Vegas’ momentum throughout the second and third periods. But to the Golden Knights’ credit, they didn’t give up. Even when the Kings continued to preserve their multi-goal leads, Vegas kept fighting.
In the end, it wasn’t enough, but the brutal start, the abysmal puck management and the lack of pressure in the neutral zone were nearly impossible for Vegas to overcome, even against a Kings team skating in the second half of a back-to-back.
Vegas committed too many self-inflicted mistakes, and the Kings capitalized throughout the contest. The Golden Knights didn’t come close to delivering a 60-minute effort, and Vegas was forced to chase the entire night.
The Golden Knights were burned in the neutral zone repeatedly, and it cost them.
Hill surrendered six goals on 35 shots for an .829 save percentage, giving up more goals tonight than he had in his previous four starts combined, all of which were wins.
Cassidy called the loss “humbling,” admitting he “didn’t see this one coming.” But he’s confident the Golden Knights will clean things up ahead of their upcoming four-game road trip.
“I’m hoping it’s a one-off in terms of puck management,” Cassidy said. “Our giveaway number is way too high. … Tonight, I just think, for whatever reason, the attention to detail with the puck wasn’t there. So that’s something that I believe will be better Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, just because we’re better than that.”
The Golden Knights have struggled against the Kings this year and finish the season series 1-3-0. Los Angeles won each of the last three games, scoring five-plus goals each time. Needless to say, this would be a tough matchup in the postseason, but there are still 19 games to be played.
The Golden Knights will look to bounce back Tuesday in Pittsburgh.