Golden Knights suffer first shutout in franchise history
It was bound to happen. Someone was going to beat the Golden Knights at their own game.
Someone was going to have a fierce forecheck. Someone was going to win the foot races to the loose pucks. Someone was going to have a hot goaltender stopping everything.
The Dallas Stars were that someone as they outworked the Knights on Tuesday, particularly in the second half of the second period, and left T-Mobile Arena with a 3-0 win in front of 17,579.
“It was a little bit like that, especially in that five minutes or so in the second period,” center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare said.
The loss snapped the Knights’ five-game winning streak and an eight-game home streak dating back to Oct. 15. It was also the first time in the franchise’s brief history it was shut out.
Radek Faksa scored a natural hat trick in a 7:05 span during the second period. The 23-year-old forward from the Czech Republic, beat Malcolm Subban on a one-time shot from in front for his first goal. With 27 seconds left in the period, he notched his second, taking a cross-ice backhand feed from Gemel Smith at the right post and putting it past Subban.
Faksa’s third goal came eight seconds later. The Knights lost the faceoff, with Dallas’ Antoine Roussel getting the puck ahead to Faksa, who put it over Subban for a 3-0 Dallas lead. It was the first hat trick of his career.
“For sure, it was huge goals for us,” Faksa said. “For sure, I’m happy for the goals. I’m real emotional when I score, but the most important is the team win. It was important goals in the second period, and I’m glad we had a greasy win on the road. We need it.”
Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock said he thought his team was ready to come up with a big effort.
“As a coach you have a feeling it’s coming and we could see this in the last two road games,” he said.
“We challenged the (Faksa) line two days ago to start playing against heavier groups. Rather than match third line on third line, we want to push them up and play against top players, and they took the challenge head on.”
Subban, who was excellent at times and finished with 27 saves, said: “They’re a good team, and they’re gifted offensively. I didn’t have that many shots come in. But my job is to stop the puck.”
Subban robbed Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza on consecutive shots early in the second period, then blocked Stephen Johns’ shot from the point to account for his three best saves. But Ben Bishop was a bit better for Dallas. He turned aside 34 shots in his 21st career shutout and his second with Dallas.
The Knights said they needed to do a better job against the talented goaltender.
“We didn’t get enough bodies in front of (Bishop), and we had some pucks at his feet and couldn’t get it past him,” Alex Tuch said.
Reilly Smith said: “They kept us to the outside for most of the game, and it’s frustrating. We’re used to scoring the first one at home and Bishop made some big saves.”
For the Knights, who now go back on the road to Minnesota on Thursday and Winnipeg on Friday, it’s about forgetting Tuesday’s shutout loss.
“It puts us on the other foot a little bit, but you put it behind you and move on to the next one,” Smith said.
Contact Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow @stevecarprj on Twitter.
Three takeaways
1. Stars earned it. Dallas outskating, outworked and outplayed the Knights over the final two periods and that was enough to get the job done. The Stars were strong on the forecheck and won the footraces to the loose pucks. They deserved to win.
2. Bishop danced. Ben Bishop was a stud in the Dallas net. He made the routine stops. he made the tough saves. He had an active glove and he stymied the Knights at every turn. He deserved the shutout he earned.
3. Big line held in check. William Karlsson's five-game goal streak ended and Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith were unable to deliver as the Stars skated with them, bottled them up and didn't allow them the time and space that they've recently had.
Steve Carp Las Vegas Review-Journal
