Hannah Kirkell
What do the Vegas Golden Knights have in common with someone taking blood thinners? Once the bleeding starts, it can be difficult to stop.
All season, the Golden Knights have encountered an uncharacteristic problem: they tend to spiral after allowing a goal. That’s exactly what happened when they hosted the Minnesota Wild at T-Mobile Arena on Friday. The Wild scored three quick goals in the second period, which proved to be too much for the Golden Knights to overcome in a 4-2 loss.
The first period was evenly matched. The Golden Knights started well, killed off a Minnesota power play, and outshot the Wild 8-6. Colton Sissons ended up with two breakaway opportunities, but Filip Gustavsson shut the door both times.
With the exception of a three-minute stretch early on, the Golden Knights were the better team in the second period. They outshot the Wild 10-7 and generated five high-danger scoring chances while only allowing one.
The problem is that during that 3:07 exception, Minnesota scored three times.
The Wild broke the ice at 5:18 in the second period. Noah Hanifin couldn’t connect with Mitch Marner on a no-look backhander, and Mats Zuccarello hustled to the loose puck. Zuccarello slipped through Hanifin and Rasmus Andersson, moved in all alone, and finished the breakaway.
The Wild doubled their lead at 8:25 in the second. Yakov Trenin held the puck behind the goal and found Danial Yurov for a one-timer. Akira Schmid made the save, but the rebound trickled to Zach Bogosian above the right circle, and the defenseman rocketed a shot home.
Just 18 seconds later, the Wild added to their lead. Brock Faber wristed a shot from the point, and Michael McCarron redirected it home.
After McCarron’s goal, the Golden Knights finally managed to stop the bleeding and not dig their hole deeper. They renewed their attack, but Filip Gustavsson was exceptional.
As has often been the case this season, the Golden Knights finally broke through in the third. Pavel Dorofeyev drew a penalty just 1:22 into the period, sending his team to their first power play of the night.
The Golden Knights struck less than a minute into the power play at 2:17 in the third. Jack Eichel fired a pass through the middle and found Pavel Dorofeyev for the winger’s 30th goal of the season.
Solving Filip Gustavsson did wonders for the team’s confidence, and the Golden Knights continued their assault. They recorded 14 shots and generated 13 scoring chances in the third period; however, their desperate offense resulted in 10 scoring chances for the Wild.
The Wild capitalized on one of those scoring chances and restored their two-goal lead at 15:42 in the third. Michael McCarron chipped the puck out for Vladimir Tarasenko, who raced up ice on a 3-on-1 with Yakov Trenin and Jared Spurgeon. Tarasenko entered the zone, played catch with Spurgeon, and fired off a shot that snuck past Akira Schmid short-side.
The Golden Knights refused to go quietly and responded with 3:05 remaining in regulation. Tomáš Hertl pressured Kirill Kaprizov below the goal line and forced a turnover. Pavel Dorofeyev sent a centering pass to Mitch Marner, who redirected it past Filip Gustavsson.
Despite pulling Akira Schmid for the extra attacker, the Golden Knights failed to generate the looks they needed and fell 4-2.
“It’s a lot of the same,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy following the team’s loss. “We get behind. We have a bad stretch, and one becomes two becomes three… It should be better now, with more of a veteran group.”
