Golden Knights record franchise first in come-from-behind win
The Golden Knights’ round-robin playoff game Monday was different for several reasons, but one stood out in particular.
The 5-3 come-from-behind victory over Dallas marked the first time in franchise history the Knights overcame a multigoal deficit in the third period to win, according to NHL public relations.
The @GoldenKnights overcame a a multi-goal deficit in the third period to win for the first time in franchise history (regular season or playoffs). #NHLStats #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/Y33s8LmcOS
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) August 4, 2020
“We learned a lesson without it costing us two points, and those nights are rare that you get away with that,” coach Pete DeBoer said in a video conference call Tuesday. “We showed some confidence and some resiliency to come back and fix some of the things that were wrong with our game and found a way to get two points, so that’s the silver lining.”
The Knights faced a multigoal deficit in 26 games during the regular season and rescued points from four of those encounters (2-22-2).
St. Louis, their opponent in the next round-robin game Thursday, was victimized by Knights comebacks on two occasions.
Jonathan Marchessault scored in overtime Feb. 13 to cap a 6-5 win after the Knights trailed 4-2 in the second period. On Jan. 4, the Knights rallied from a three-goal hole after the first period to win 5-4 in OT.
The only other occasions the Knights overcame a multigoal deficit to nab a point were a 5-4 overtime loss Dec. 19 at Vancouver and a 5-4 shootout loss at Montreal on Jan. 18.
The Knights were 4-21-2 when trailing after two periods during the regular season.
The victory at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, also was important for standings purposes.
The Knights and Colorado are tied with two points each, while Dallas and St. Louis face an uphill climb with no points and two games remaining.
The team that finishes atop the round-robin standings earns the No. 1 seed for the Western Conference quarterfinals.
“It basically eliminates us from being the fourth seed with the win and gives us a chance to still compete for the first seed,” DeBoer said. “So, the points alone were critical.”
Pacioretty remains out
There was no change to the status of left wing Max Pacioretty, who still has not joined the team in Edmonton. His availability for Thursday’s game remains unclear.
Pacioretty, the Knights’ leading scorer during the regular season, is recovering from a minor injury sustained in training camp and has not practiced with the team since July 19.
“I think I used the words ‘on the horizon’ recently, and that’s the same now,” DeBoer said. “He’s getting a lot closer, and I’m sure he’ll get an appearance soon.”
Start time
The Knights’ round-robin game against St. Louis is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time Thursday, the league announced.
The game will be broadcast on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain and can be heard on radio at Fox Sports Las Vegas (98.9 FM, 1340 AM).
The league has not announced a start time for the Knights’ final round-robin game Saturday against Colorado.
Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.