On Thursday, the Vegas Golden Knights (24-13-12) kicked off a four-game road trip against the Boston Bruins (29-20-2). They started poorly and allowed the first four goals of the game. A third-period comeback bid came up just short, and the Golden Knights fell 4-3.
In the past few weeks, the Golden Knights have improved their starts; today, they regressed. They were thoroughly outplayed in the first period. The Bruins outshot them 15-4 and generated seven high-danger scoring chances. It paid off, and the Bruins scored three goals in 54 seconds on three consecutive shots.
At 9:01 in the first, Tomáš Hertl caught Alex Steeves with a high stick and headed to the box to serve a four minute double minor. Boston made them pay and struck just 10 seconds into the first power play.
The Bruins broke the ice at 9:12 in the first period. Charlie McAvoy played catch with David Pastrňák at the point, and then beat Akira Schmid with a one-timer from distance.
The Bruins doubled their lead 30 seconds later. The Golden Knights’ penalty kill cracked under the pressure, and David Pastrňák found Elias Lindholm in the bumper for a quick strike.
The Bruins added another just 24 seconds later. After Tanner Jeannot forced a turnover, Sean Kuraly picked off Ben Hutton’s clearing attempt. Kuraly got the puck to Jeannot, who beat Akira Schmid short-side.
Things didn’t improve for the Golden Knights in the second period. Despite doubling their offensive output from the first period, they couldn’t convert on any of their chances. They generated 13 scoring chances, but Joonas Korpisalo was up to the task and turned away all eight shots.
The Bruins added another at 7:25 in the second. After a scramble in front of Boston’s net, Elias Lindholm cleared the puck towards David Pastrňák at center ice, who found Nikita Zadorov streaking towards the right circle. Zadorov shrugged off Tomáš Hertl and found Pastrňák all alone in front.
Down by four in the third period, the Golden Knights finally found their legs. They outshot the Bruins 20-5, generating 13 high-danger scoring chances while holding Boston to two.
The Golden Knights got on the board just 31 seconds into the third. The Boston boys linked up, and Noah Hanifin found Jack Eichel for a back-door tap-in.
Just over a minute later, Jeremy Lauzon drew a penalty, and the Golden Knights headed to their third power play of the night.
The Golden Knights cut Boston’s lead to two on the ensuing power play at 3:01 in the third. Mark Stone threaded a pass to Tomáš Hertl in the bumper, and Hertl slammed it home.
After pulling Akira Schmid for the extra attacker, the Golden Knights made it a one-goal game at 17:25 in the third. Shea Theodore found Pavel Dorofeyev at the goal line, and Dorofeyev snuck a shot past Joonas Korpisalo short-side.
The Golden Knights again pulled Akira Schmid for the extra attacker, but their luck ran out. Despite generating scoring chances, they couldn’t find the equalizer. Their comeback bid fell just short, and the Golden Knights lost 4-3.
