The Vegas Golden Knights salvaged what could have been a disastrous evening when Shea Theodore scored 19:08 into extra time to give the Golden Knights the 5-4 overtime victory over the Utah Mammoth in Game 4 Monday night at Delta Center.
The best-of-seven series is now tied at 2-2.
The Golden Knights blew a three-goal lead, surrendering four unanswered goals before tying the game midway through the third period. It took almost an entire extra period of hockey, including a false alarm game-clincher that was called back due to offside, but the Golden Knights came out on top in the end.
Brett Howden scored two goals, and Jack Eichel led the team with three points. The game-winner was Theodore’s first point of the series and helped Vegas avoid falling into a 3-1 hole.
The Golden Knights could not have asked for a better start to the game, as the new-look top line completed a perfect passing play to set up Pavel Dorofeyev in front just 72 seconds into the contest.
Vegas doubled its lead with 1:22 remaining in the frame when Mitch Marner forced a turnover and recovered the puck along the boards before finding Howden, who had a gorgeous finish for the shorthanded tally.
It was Vegas’ best first period of the series, and it was a dominant one. The Golden Knights led 19-13 in shot attempts, 8-3 in shots, 11-7 in scoring chances and 8-1 in high-danger chances with a 73.75 percent expected goal share, per Natural Stat Trick. Most importantly, the Golden Knights led 2-0.
Vegas added to that lead when Cole Smith scored on a deflection 3:26 into the middle frame for his first career playoff goal.
The Golden Knights were completely in control of the game.
Until they weren’t.
The Mammoth flipped the script entirely, responding with four unanswered goals, two of which came in the span of just 29 seconds in the second period.
Dorofeyev had a chance to get the puck out of the zone but turned it over, and Utah didn’t look back. An excellent shift by the Mammoth’s top line resulted in a rebound goal for Nick Schmaltz at 8:04, and Ian Cole followed suit on a screened shot at 8:33 to make it a one-goal game in the blink of an eye.
Utah erased Vegas’ lead less than two minutes into the third period on a goal by Michael Carcone, who beat Carter Hart short-side on a long-range one-timer.
Just 3:25 later, Clayton Keller found twine for the first time this postseason to give the home team its first lead of the night. Keller threw the puck towards the crease, where it connected with a Vegas skate before sneaking past Hart.
The Golden Knights had an extra jump in their step once they were trailing, and the back-and-forth action continued when the Golden Knights reset the score just past the midway mark. Howden scored his second of the game on a tip in front to make it a 4-4 game at 10:25.
John Tortorella shortened the bench in the third period, with Tomas Hertl, Keegan Kolesar and Dorofeyev taking only a few shifts (Dorofeyev was in the doghouse after the turnover in the second). But neither team was able to pull ahead in regulation, setting up the first overtime period of the series.
The Golden Knights’ power play, which went 0-for-3 in regulation, had a glorious opportunity to redeem itself and win the game 2:28 into extra time when Kevin Stenlund was called for slashing. After switching up the units earlier in the game, Tortorella put Marner back on the top unit for overtime.
Karel Vejmelka made a few key saves on Mark Stone in front, but the man-advantage wasn’t able to generate much. Instead, it seemed to give the Mammoth some momentum.
Both teams had spurts of sustained pressure, with Utah carrying the play overall, but it was Dorofeyev who scored 10:22 into sudden-death overtime. Or so it seemed.
After having been benched for most of the third period, Dorofeyev cleaned up a rebound off an Eichcel redirect that leaked through Vejmelka, but the goal was called back because Eichel was offside.
It could have been a devastating blow to the Golden Knights, but they continued to push on the forecheck. They seemed to have the step on Utah, which looked tired, and eventually the Golden Knights converted. Vejmelka lost his stick, and Eichel found Theodore alone in the slot. Theodore made no mistake, firing the puck through traffic and into the cage to call game.
This was a wild game.
The Golden Knights came out with a brilliant start and led 3-0 early in the second period. It looked as if they were in complete control, and then they blew it.
A complete collapse saw the Golden Knights give up four unanswered goals. Incredibly, the Mammoth took the lead 5:10 into the third period. The Golden Knights responded with Howden’s second of the night. Then, it looked as though Vegas saved the game when Dorofeyev scored in overtime, but the goal was taken off the boards. Utah responded with a push, but Hart and the Golden Knights battled through.
Vegas then found another gear and took care of business, capitalizing on the fact that Vejmelka lost his stick. But the goal also was the result of sustained pressure, effort and grit, and the Golden Knights did what they had to do to win.
Make no mistake, the Golden Knights had to win this game. That was true coming into it, and it certainly was true after they almost blew it.
It’s a big win for a team that most often played from behind this year. Blowing multi-goal leads was not part of the formula, but that presented itself tonight, and the Golden Knights found a way to overcome it.
It wasn’t pretty, and there were some concerning aspects of the game (aside from the meltdown) that could continue to affect the series moving forward.
For one thing, the power play has disappeared in recent games, and it could have been extremely costly in Game 4. When a team has a full two-minute power play in overtime with a chance to win the game and even the series, converting is critical. The Golden Knights didn’t do that. In fact, it was Utah that walked away with the momentum boost.
The power play went 0-for-4 on the night even after personnel changes, and it continues to look hesitant and ineffective. What had been a strength for Vegas for most of the year has become a problem at the worst possible time, and the changes that were made in between Games 3 and 4 did not do the trick.
Also, Hart’s play has deteriorated.
He finished Game 4 with 27 saves on 31 shots for an .871 save percentage. He has given up eight goals on the last 43 shots, good for an .814 save percentage. Even though he’s 2-2, he wasn’t sharp in regulation. He settled down in overtime, turning aside all nine of Utah’s shots, but he has not been as reliable in recent games.
Some of the goals have not been his fault, and Vegas has had its fair share of unfortunate bounces. But will a change be on the table if things don’t go well in Game 5? After all, Hart is Tortorella’s “guy” going back to their days in Philadelphia.
Even though Adin Hill played very poorly in the regular season, he’s a Stanley Cup champion with a history of elevated play in the postseason. By no means has he earned the benefit of the doubt this season, but if Hart had given up a soft goal in overtime in Game 4, that would have threatened the Golden Knights’ season.
Tortorella also reverted to his more typical practices of punishing players for mistakes and shortening the bench. That’s fine in theory, but it’s not ideal in practice, particularly in a must-win playoff game. Sitting two of the team’s leading goal-scorers from the regular season for the majority of the third period is a concerning tactic.
Dorofeyev almost scored the game-winner in overtime, and though Hertl is in the midst of an epic slump, he’s one of Vegas’ top producers and shouldn’t necessarily be riding the bench in a must-win game. Asset management has been a point of contention with Tortorella over the years, and it started to surface in Game 4.
Nevertheless, the Golden Knights will have a chance to take a 3-2 series lead Wednesday night when the series shifts back to Las Vegas for Game 5.
Needless to say, it’s another must-win game for Vegas.
Statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.
Photo courtesy of the Golden Knights