‘We made our own mistakes’: Knights return home hoping to limit turnovers

When the Golden Knights compete the way they did in the second period Monday, they’re a tough team to handle.

“When we don’t,” coach Bruce Cassidy said, “we’re pretty average.”

The middle 20 minutes was the only good that came from the Knights’ 5-1 loss to the Utah Mammoth at Delta Center. They outshot Utah 16-4 in the second period and scored to cut their deficit to 2-1.

But the Knights fell behind 2-0 in the first period and allowed three goals in the third period to end their three-game road trip on a sour note.

The team returns home for a four-game stint at T-Mobile Arena beginning with Wednesday’s matchup with the Ottawa Senators.

“I think our game has been improving over the last few weeks,” left wing Ivan Barbashev said. “This trip, there’s a lot of positive things. We’ve just got to clear up some mistakes and just try to get better.”

Turning it over

The Knights’ issues were self-inflicted.

Puck management has hurt them the past few weeks. The Knights (10-5-7) have lost the giveaway battle their last 10 games. They had 14 turnovers Monday.

Center Jack Eichel had a team-high four, including the giveaway that led to center Logan Cooley’s breakaway goal early in the third period that put Utah up 3-1.

Cassidy has accepted those errors in the past because of the Knights’ skill. Giveaways happen when teams try to make plays. But the Knights have been unable to recover from theirs, leading to a 3-3-4 slump.

“Well, we’re going to keep talking about (puck management),” Cassidy said. “We’ve had a few (turnovers).”

The Knights had their chances Monday. They had two power plays in the third period, but couldn’t capitalize. Cassidy even pulled goaltender Carl Lindbom for an extra attacker with less than five minutes to go. Cooley proceeded to finish off the game with two empty-net goals.

“I think we made our own mistakes,” Barbashev said.

About the Senators

The Senators (11-7-4) have gotten off to a solid start despite only having captain Brady Tkachuk (thumb) for three games this season and getting subpar goaltending.

Netminder Linus Ullmark, the 2022 Vezina Trophy winner with the Boston Bruins, is 8-5-4 with a 2.95 goals-against average and career-worst .877 save percentage.

Because of his struggles, Ottawa is allowing 3.23 goals per game, the ninth-most in the NHL.

The Senators are tied for 10th in goals per game (3.14) despite playing most of the year without Tkachuk, who scored a team-high 29 goals last season.

The St. Louis native could return this week, though he likely won’t play against the Knights. He could come back Friday against the Blues instead.

Even without Tkachuk, Ottawa has enough firepower to put pressure on the Knights.

No. 1 center Tim Stutzle has carried the scoring load with 11 goals and 21 points in 22 games. His right wing, Drake Batherson, has 20 points in 19 games.

Center Shane Pinto, who signed a four-year, $30 million extension on Nov. 13, has 10 goals in 22 games.

The Knights know they need to be ready for Ottawa’s skill. That starts with not giving the Senators easy chances off turnovers.

“We fell apart defensively there for a bit against (Utah’s) top guys,” Cassidy said. “Had a little bit of that in Anaheim where their top guys beat us one-on-one. That’s something we’ve got to be firmer in.”

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.