Hannah Kirkell
Losing a game is one thing; it’s another entirely to lose in a crushing fashion to a team that is, on paper, far inferior. The Vegas Golden Knights did just that on Sunday afternoon, suffering a 5-0 loss to the Sidney Crosby-less Pittsburgh Penguins.
And to make matters worse, they lost their captain in the process.
In the first period, there was no indication of the beatdown to come. The Golden Knights started on time, recorded the first four shots on goal, and dictated play for the first five minutes of the game. And then, the Penguins found their legs and essentially pummeled the Golden Knights into submission.
The Penguins broke the ice at 14:56 in the first. Anthony Mantha won a board battle against Keegan Kolesar, and Ben Kindel corralled the puck and entered the zone. Kindel cut to the middle of the ice, stepped into the slot, and snapped a sneaky wrister through Rasmus Andersson that beat Adin Hill over the blocker.
Despite only being down by one goal, the Golden Knights entered the first intermission with a storm cloud hanging above their heads. Late in the period, Mark Stone took a cross-check from Kris Letang and immediately went down the tunnel. Stone did not return to start the second period and was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game.
The Penguins doubled their lead as their power play expired at 5:47 in the second period. Justin Brazeau found Egor Chinakhov all alone in the right circle, and the winger snapped a shot past Adin Hill short-side.
The Penguins struck again on the power play at 9:34 in the second. Jeremy Lauzon knocked down Erik Karlsson’s shot from the point, but he couldn’t prevent Bryan Rust from banging in the rebound.
The Penguins extended their lead on the power play at 15:06 in the second. Erik Karlsson hit Rickard Rakell all alone in front of the net, and Rakell buried his own rebound.
This season, the Golden Knights have been known for their dramatic comebacks. That wasn’t the case today. They generated nine high-danger scoring chances in the third period, but couldn’t beat Artūrs Šilovs.
The Penguins added insult to injury at 14:59 in the third period. Kris Letang knocked Jack Eichel off the puck and found Ben Kindel flying through the neutral zone with speed. Kindel entered the zone and left the puck for Justin Brazeau, who snapped a shot past Adin Hill far-side.
Artūrs Šilovs secured the shutout for the Penguins, and the Golden Knights fell 5-0.
After Sunday’s regulation loss, the Golden Knights still lead the Pacific Division with 70 points and a 28-18-14 record. The Anaheim Ducks are hot on their heels with 67 points, and they have two games in hand.
However, division standings are far from the Golden Knights’ biggest concern right now. Instead, that honor goes to Mark Stone’s injury status.
“I don’t have much to say there,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy about Mark Stone postgame. “I assume he’ll be on the plane with us to Buffalo, and I’ll probably have a better update tomorrow. Upper-body is all I was told, and we’ll see where it lands.”
Despite already missing 17 games this season, Stone is second on the team in scoring with 21 goals and 60 points in 43 games. He’s not just a dominant player— he’s also the emotional leader in the locker room. The Golden Knights live and die by their captain, and if he misses any time, the team will feel that loss very deeply.
