Wranglers generate no power

Using their three-game series with Victoria as a barometer, the Wranglers still have far to go to regain their championship form of last season.

Despite outshooting the National Conference-leading Salmon Kings by a 40-21 margin, the Wranglers lost to Victoria for the second straight night 4-2 on Saturday at the Orleans Arena.

While many in the season-high crowd of 7,232 surely showed up to see a first-intermission performance by the Blue Man Group, the Wranglers fans were just left blue.

The game was closer than the score suggests, as Chris St. Jacques scored an empty-net goal for Victoria (28-10-4) with 1:11 left for the final margin.

Las Vegas pulled to within 3-2 with 25 seconds left in the second period when Chris Neiszner took a centering pass from Shawn Limpright and lifted a backhander past Salmon Kings goalie Todd Ford for his second goal of the game.

But the Wranglers (16-17-4) failed to score on three power plays in the third period, and their ECHL-worst man-advantage unit (23-for-207) finished 0-for-9.

Sean O'Connor scored twice for Victoria -- giving him three goals in two nights against his former team -- and he gave the Salmon Kings a 3-1 lead with 5:04 left in the second period. O'Connor, who had a power-play goal in the first period, carried the puck behind the net, then punched it past goalie Kevin Lalande, who stopped 17 of 20 shots.

A mistake by Lalande (4-7-2) led to a Salmon Kings goal early in the second period. Lalande skated behind the net to play the puck, but turned it over to Curtis Billsten, who fired a quick pass out front. Shaun Landolt buried it to give Victoria a 2-1 edge.

The Wranglers tied the game at 1-all with 4:44 left in the first period when Neiszner took a pass from Tyler Mosienko and rifled a one-timer past Ford. Ford made 38 saves after entering with an 8-1-0 record, three shutouts and a 1.48 goals-against average in his last nine games.

O'Connor netted his first-period goal at 6:52, beating Lalande to a rebound and blasting it into the back of the net.

The Wranglers wrap up their home series with Victoria at 2 p.m. today.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.