The Vegas Golden Knights had a furious push at 6-on-5 in the final minutes of regulation but were unable to beat a defiant Jake Oettinger, ultimately falling short in a 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars Friday night at American Airlines Center.
It was the second half of a back-to-back for the Golden Knights, who defeated the Blues 4-2 on Thursday before taking on a well-rested Stars club. Vegas made it a one-goal game with 9:25 remaining in the third period but failed to net the equalizer despite generating several great chances in the final minute. Dallas’ three-goal second period was the difference in the game.
Jack Eichel and Jason Robertson both scored twice, and Mark Stone recorded three assists. Oettinger only had to face 21 shots (.857 save percentage) but was critical down the stretch for the home team; Adin Hill yielded four goals on 27 shots (.852 save percentage) in the loss.
Vegas is now 2-6-1 in its last nine games and 30-15-4 on the year.
Eichel opened the scoring to give the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead 4:04 into the contest. It marked the eighth straight game in which Vegas converted on the power play.
Roope Hintz responded with a power-play strike of his own just 2:15 later to reset the score at 1-1, which stood at the end of 20 minutes.
In the second period, the Stars took over, outscoring Vegas 3-1.
Robertson’s 16th of the year gave Dallas its first lead 7:31 into the frame. The goal came after a crazy sequence involving a successful penalty kill by Vegas, an unsuccessful breakaway by Noah Hanifin and a rebound goal for Robertson, who capitalized as Hill got caught out of position after making the initial stop.
Shea Theodore made it 2-2 just 1:27 later on a tic-tac-toe play, as Vegas scored 22 seconds into its second man-advantage of the game.
But Dallas proceeded to take over, scoring consecutive goals and outshooting Vegas 10-3 the rest of the way.
First, Jamie Benn put the Stars back on top with a deflection goal off a point shot by Matt Duchene.
Then, Robertson scored his second of the game just 96 seconds later to extend Dallas’ lead to two; this proved to be the game-winning goal.
In the end, Dallas outshot Vegas 15-5 in the second, as Pete DeBoer’s shot suppression system was in full effect.
That carried over into the third, as it took nearly 10 minutes for Vegas to record its first shot of the frame.
However, less than a minute later, Eichel made Vegas’ third shot of the period count. He was relentless leading up to his 14th goal of the season (and third in his last three games), and his sheer will pulled Vegas within one with 9:25 remaining.
The Golden Knights had a glorious opportunity to tie the game with a power play a few minutes later but looked hesitant, failing to break through.
That being said, the Golden Knights looked spectacular on the 6-on-5. They ran out of time, but not before Pavel Dorofeyev came within inches of forcing overtime.
But for the sensational save by Oettinger, the Golden Knights would have tied things up with all the momentum. From the doorstep, Dorofeyev got air under his shot, but Oettinger came up with the clutch save, shutting the door on Vegas’ attempt to complete the comeback.
In the end, the Golden Knights had a lull in the second period, and Dallas had the edge in goaltending. Not only was Hill not at his best, but Oettinger was.
In addition to Oettinger, however, Eichel was in rare form. He was excellent all night, particularly in the first and third periods, weaving his way in and around Dallas skaters with ease and doing everything in his power to make it a game, including scoring two out of three of Vegas’ goals. This was all one night after playing more than 23 minutes to lead all Vegas forwards. Once again, he stepped up, particularly with the absence of William Karlsson.
Eichel wasn’t alone, as the top line stood out once again, managing a 22-14 edge in Corsi, a 1-0 advantage in goals and a 66.45 percent expected goal share. Stone assisted on all three Vegas tallies.
Similarly, the power play continues to fire on all cylinders. The Golden Knights have scored a power-play goal in eight straight games, going 10-for-23 (43.5 percent) in that stretch.
But unlike Thursday’s game in St. Louis, the second line struggled in Dallas, trailing 13-3 in Corsi, 4-2 in shots and managing just 32.15 percent of the expected goal share in 9:25. That being said, Dorofeyev got robbed at the end, and Tomas Hertl had a late chance as well.
Hanifin was on the ice for three of Dallas’ four goals. He has struggled in recent games, much like he did earlier in the season. The Golden Knights need him to be better moving forward.
Bruce Cassidy said after Monday’s loss to St. Louis that Vegas couldn’t afford to give up four goals and expect to win a game. The Golden Knights did their best to overcome that tonight, but it’s not a formula for success.
Also, for as good as the power play has been, Vegas must improve at 5-on-5.
The recent 2-6-1 stretch is not good enough for a team expecting to contend. Even if these are not blowout losses, the Golden Knights must clean up their act. Lapses have been a consistent theme during what has become an extended rough patch for Vegas, and tonight’s second period was an all-too-familiar factor in the loss. Tonight was still a better overall effort than most of the other recent losses, but bad habits have evolved into trends, which Vegas needs to address.
The Golden Knights will finish up a rocky January with three straight home games, starting Sunday against the Panthers.