3 takeaways from Knights’ loss: Goaltender struggles late
Giving up three third-period goals would seem to be another sign of deja vu for the Golden Knights.
Tuesday’s performance didn’t both coach Bruce Cassidy, however. Not even after his team’s recent third-period struggles.
Cassidy felt the Knights played a strong game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at T-Mobile Arena, but fell just short in a 5-3 loss.
It was a 2-2 game going into the third period and the home team controlled play most of the first 40 minutes. The Knights were the better team at five-on-five and got even-strength goals from right wing Jonathan Marchessault and center Brett Howden.
But Lightning center Brayden Point scored twice in the third and right wing Nikita Kucherov added an empty net goal. Marchessault scored his team-leading 38th goal in his 500th game with the Knights (36-25-7), but goaltender Adin Hill allowed four goals on 20 shots for his fifth loss in seven starts.
“I thought we played a great third,” Cassidy said. “A couple goals found their way in.”
Cassidy said he liked the Knights’ pushback after Point’s first goal, a power-play tally 4:52 into the third. Defenseman Ben Hutton tied the game at 3-3 with his second goal of the season 3:24 later.
Point proceeded to make the play that changed the pack. He won a race to the puck, fired a close shot on Hill and scored to give Tampa Bay a 4-3 lead with 7:46 remaining.
“We got the (third goal) and kept pushing,” Cassidy said. “The fourth goal kind of speaks for itself. We didn’t play that one very well.”
Kucherov’s final goal was the 13th the Knights have allowed in the third period their last five games. Cassidy still said there was a lot to like.
The Knights also have areas to clean up. They went 0-for-3 on the power play Tuesday and gave up a short-handed goal to Lightning center Anthony Cirelli seven minutes into the first period.
The Knights are 6-for-45 on the power play (13.33 percent) since the All-Star break.
“Obviously we had a few lapses there that we can’t afford to have and they capitalized,” defenseman Alec Martinez said.
The Knights’ defensive coverage and goaltending have had their struggles as well.
Hill has an .872 save percentage his last seven starts. He’s given up 10 third-period goals his last four appearances.
“We have to get him over the hump. We have to get him to the finish line,” Cassidy said. “Part of that will be on him to play his way through it. Part of it is on us to recognize it and tighten up.”
The loss is another hit to the Knights in the standings with 14 regular-season games remaining.
Their lead for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference shrunk to three points after the Minnesota Wild’s 4-0 win against the Anaheim Ducks. The Wild have an extra game played.
The Los Angeles Kings also extended their lead for third place in the Pacific Division to two points after their 6-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. The top three teams in the division earn automatic playoff spots.
“That was a tough one,” Martinez said. “Especially this time of year.”
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
1. Hague draws in
Defenseman Nic Hague returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch Sunday.
Hague skated on the top pair in place of defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who is day to day with an illness.
Hague finished with three shots on goal in 18:09. He also had a tripping penalty in the third period that led to Point’s first goal.
2. Fourth line scores again
The fourth line delivered once again when the Knights needed offense.
Howden’s goal put the unit on the scoresheet for the second straight game. Left wing William Carrier scored a game-tying goal Sunday against the New Jersey Devils.
Right wing Keegan Kolesar contributed two assists Tuesday for his third multipoint game of the season.
“It’s tough to find positives when you lose,” Kolesar said. “We’ll come in tomorrow, have a meeting and go from there.”
3. Kucherov strikes
The NHL’s leading scorer did it again Tuesday.
Kucherov had a goal and three assists to give him 118 points on the season, surpassing Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon for the most in the league.
Kucherov had an assist on Tampa Bay’s second goal by setting up Duclair. His other two assists came on Point’s goals in the third.
It remains to be seen if Kucherov’s impressive season will earn him his second Hart Trophy for NHL MVP. But he has a chance to win his second Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top scorer.
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
