The Vegas Golden Knights were coming off a deflating 4-2 loss to the New York Rangers and were hoping to get back in the win column against the other New York team. However, Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin stopped 33 of 34 shots, handing the Golden Knights their fourth consecutive loss (0-2-2) in the form of a 2-1 defeat Tuesday night at UBS Arena.
There wasn’t much action in the opening frame, but the Islanders came away with a 1-0 lead. Bo Horvat collected a stretch pass and broke in, flipping a backhand shot past Ilya Samsonov with 1:39 remaining.
Though Sorokin kept Vegas off the board in the second period, the Golden Knights generated a lot more at 5-on-5 in the middle frame, leading 25-11 in shot attempts and 13-6 in scoring chances. Samsonov came up with a few key saves, including shutting down a Pierre Engvall backhand before covering a bouncing rebound that looked dangerous.
The Golden Knights held New York to just four shots in the first and second periods and were able to neutralize mistakes by blocking shots. Through 40 minutes, the Golden Knights led 19-8 in shots but trailed 1-0 where it mattered most.
But Brandon Saad netted his first with his new club to even things up at 1-1 in the third period. The rebound goal put an end to Sorokin’s shutout streak against Vegas, which came 20 seconds shy of reaching 108 minutes. No goalie has shut out the Golden Knights twice in one season.
However, it took just 3:03 for Brock Nelson to restore the Islanders’ one-goal lead on a deflection in front.
The Golden Knights had a bunch of looks with the goalie pulled but were unable to find the equalizer, falling 2-1 in regulation.
The Golden Knights are now 3-8-3 in their last 14 games and are 0-2-0 on this four-game road trip.
Sorokin played well, finishing the game with 33 saves and a .971 save percentage. He didn’t have to make many spectacular saves but relied on strong positioning and made it look easy. In two games against the Golden Knights this season, Sorokin has stopped 63 of 64 shots for a .984 save percentage.
That being said, the Golden Knights didn’t put enough pressure on the Russian netminder, and they didn’t play with enough desperation. The Nelson goal was scored on a great deflection, but it came after an extended shift that included multiple failed clears and an icing. At a critical moment in the hockey game when Vegas seemed prime to turn things around, the Islanders stole back the momentum and rode the resulting 2-1 lead to the final buzzer.
The Golden Knights played well defensively, holding the Islanders to just 14 shots for the whole game. But Vegas was unable to win battles in front of Sorokin, which was a problem throughout the contest.
Also, the Golden Knights, who continue to struggle at 5-on-5, only drew one penalty against one of the worst penalty kills in the league. On its lone man-advantage, Vegas failed to capitalize or even record a shot.
Samsonov finished with 12 saves on 14 shots for an .857 save percentage.
The Golden Knights have two games remaining before the 4 Nations Face-Off break, both of which are against playoff teams: Thursday against New Jersey and Saturday against Boston.
Vegas’ situation may not be dire, but the longer the slump continues, the harder it will be for the Golden Knights to dig themselves out of it. The Golden Knights must find a way out of this tailspin.
Statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.