3 takeaways from Knights’ loss: Struggles continue in extra time — PHOTOS
A Thanksgiving miracle wasn’t in the cards. The Golden Knights still can’t get over the hump in extra time.
The Knights did battle back from a two-goal deficit to force overtime and a chance at the second point, but they wound up losing their seventh straight game post-regulation, 4-3 to the Ottawa Senators in a shootout Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena.
Senators center Shane Pinto scored the only goal, in the third round.
Centers Jack Eichel and Brett Howden scored, and goaltender Akira Schmid made 20 saves for the Knights (10-5-8), who are 1-8 in extra time this season and haven’t won such a game since Oct. 9 against the San Jose Sharks.
“Those are points on the table for us,” defenseman Noah Hanifin said. “We got to figure that out.”
Captain Mark Stone played 19:58 and scored the game-tying, power-play goal 6:40 into the third in his first game after missing the past month with a wrist injury.
Stone, who was on the top line to start the season, moved down to skate with Mitch Marner — who moved to left wing — and center Brett Howden.”
“Overall, I felt pretty good,” Stone said. “Haven’t been able to skate quite a bit. My legs started to go a little bit toward the end of the game.”
Marner’s chance to extend the shootout in the bottom of the third rolled off his stick.
The Knights earned a point for the seventh time in eight games but are 3-1-4 in that stretch.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
1. Stone’s presence
The Knights missed their captain in the previous 16 games. They went 6-5-5 without Stone, and the power play was 9-for-53.
So, of course, Stone found a way to come through when he flubbed his initial centering pass, then the second one deflected off an Ottawa skate for his third goal of the season.
Stone leaped into the boards and tested the wrist he injured by banging it into the glass in celebration.
“I don’t know if I picked up right where I left off, but I think I made a couple good plays and (had) a real lucky bounce,” Stone said. “You take those and run.”
Stone found instant chemistry with his new linemates. He, Marner and Howden out-attempted 19-4 when they were on the ice. Howden got behind the defense off a chip pass from Marner to put the Knights on the board with 3:08 left in the first.
“We possessed the puck pretty well,” Stone said. “I don’t think we spent much time in our d-zone at all. I don’t know the numbers, but it sure felt like we did a good job off the rush.”
2. Slow start
The first 20 minutes was a nightmarish start.
It took 51 seconds to fall behind. Pinto fired a sharp-angle shot from near the goal line that trickled through Schmid’s pads.
“It has no right going into the net,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Got to prepare yourself to play, be ready to go. That ends up being a difference in the game, too.”
Defenseman Jake Sanderson increased the lead at 13:04 with a one-timer on the power play.
Howden’s goal put the momentum back in the Knights’ favor, and they were 17 seconds from going into the intermission down a goal.
Instead, after Marner was tackled in the Ottawa crease, the Senators went the other way and right wing Drake Batherson scored on a one-timer for a 3-1 lead.
“It looked like there might have been a call there on Marner in front of the net, but that’s hockey,” Cassidy said. “We didn’t track back into our end very well. It’s a three-on-three, and we missed a coverage in front. So that was a tough one to give up.”
The Knights controlled play in the next two periods, outshooting the Senators 22-12. Eichel cut the lead to 3-2 2:09 into the second period.
That third Ottawa goal proved to be the backbreaker.
“It’s something that’s been kind of popping into our game a little bit the last month or so, just making sure we’re having good starts,” Hanifin said. “We never want to be chasing it.”
3. Thanksgiving barometer
Cassidy has used Thanksgiving as a good starting point to see where teams are.
The Knights are in a three-way tie for second place in the Pacific Division with the Seattle Kraken and Los Angeles Kings. The Anaheim Ducks are a point clear of all three.
A win or two in overtime would mean the Knights are in first place. All things considered, it’s not too bad, but they’re leaving points on the table.
They had their chances. Left wing Ivan Barbashev hit a post midway through overtime, and defenseman Shea Theodore had an individual effort roll off his stick.
“I liked the way we managed overtime,” Cassidy said. “We had the best chance, and we didn’t finish it.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
