Knights start final stretch of homestand against Cup champion Panthers

The Golden Knights can still salvage this homestand.

There’s no denying the first four games of this six-game stretch have fallen well below the Knights’ expectations. The level of competition plays a part of it, but they’ve also left some points on the ice in the process.

Winning the last two games, starting Monday against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, can put the Knights on the plus side of this recent stretch.

The Knights dropped to 1-2-1 on their homestand Saturday in a 4-3 overtime loss to the surprising Anaheim Ducks, a game the Knights needed two goals in the third period just to earn a point.

“Obviously, we need to be a lot better for the majority of the game,” left wing Brett Howden said. “I feel we just need to have more consistency in our game.”

Strong finish

That third period was one of the best the Knights have played in recent memory. They outshot the Ducks 21-6, despite losing center William Karlsson to a lower-body injury after the opening frame.

“Our guys like to make plays. They can make plays,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “A lot of times, we got to put it to the net and go recover it. I think in the third period, that’s what happened. We won a lot of races to loose pucks.”

Karlsson is day to day, Cassidy said after Saturday. The Knights didn’t practice Sunday.

Ideally, the Knights would like to roll their efforts in the third period into a 60-minute effort against a Florida team that shut them out 3-0 the last time they met in Sunrise, Florida, on Oct. 25.

“It was encouraging,” Howden said about the comeback. “It’s a taste of the style of hockey we want to play. Not sitting back, being forward, pressing on them.”

It was only a matter of time before the Panthers (7-7-1) regressed. Injuries have derailed the two-time defending champions. They’re without captain Aleksander Barkov (right knee) for the whole regular season and leading scorer Matthew Tkachuk (groin) until December.

Florida is 4-7-1 since starting the season 3-0 and is 1-2 during this four-game Pacific Division road trip. The Panthers are coming off a 3-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.

Despite giving up two goals in a second period dominated by the Ducks, Cassidy felt his group played well enough to deserve the win.

Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba scored the winner with 32 seconds left after Anaheim forced a turnover in the Knights’ zone.

Slow start

The Knights felt they didn’t feel the first two periods, though, were up to their standards. Howden scored the first goal before right wing Frank Vatrano tied it late in the period.

Anaheim center Leo Carlsson scored twice in the second period to push the lead to 3-1.

The Ducks had a 44-34 edge in shot attempts and an 8-3 advantage in high-danger chances through two periods, according to the website Natural Stat Trick.

“We weren’t happy with our first two periods there, so it kind of showed there,” defenseman Kaedan Korczak said. “They dictated the pace of play.”

Part of that rally involved the Knights switching up the defense pairs in the third period. Korczak, who tied the game with 5:07 remaining, skated with Noah Hanifin while Zach Whitecloud played with Jeremy Lauzon.

Whitecloud and Hanifin were on the ice for all three Ducks goals in regulation.

The Knights outshot Anaheim 11-6 with Korczak and Hanifin on the ice, according to Natural Stat Trick. Given how Cassidy said that pairing had been in the works since Hanifin returned after a 10-game absence due to injury, it’s likely those two get time together Monday.

“Real good foot speed with (Hanifin), so it could be a great pair that way in terms of their pace,” Cassidy said. “Will we look at it Monday? Yeah, maybe. It’s certainly something we would do or try and see how it goes, and it shouldn’t affect us a lot.”

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