3 takeaways from Knights win: Team plays with fire, avoids burns
The Golden Knights surrendered a game-tying goal in the final minute of regulation for the second straight game Tuesday.
It didn’t cost them points on either occasion.
Captain Mark Stone scored his second goal 1:11 into overtime to give the Knights a 5-4 win over the Calgary Flames at T-Mobile Arena. The victory came two nights after they beat the Sharks 5-4 in a shootout despite allowing an equalizer late.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t win in regulation,” center William Karlsson said. “But you know, a win is a win, so we’ll take it.”
The Knights (20-5-5) extended their winning streak to four games and their point streak to nine despite playing with fire once again.
Right wing Yegor Sharangovich scored twice for Calgary (11-14-4), including the tally that tied the game with 59.3 seconds left in the third period.
Sharangovich, with Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf on the bench for an extra attacker, redirected a blast from defenseman Noah Hanifin past goaltender Logan Thompson. The goal stood after a review and the Knights were forced to play extra hockey for the second straight game.
Stone ensured play didn’t continue long. His goal made the Knights the first NHL team to reach 20 wins this season.
He was set up by center Jack Eichel, who stole the puck in the defensive zone in overtime before sending Stone on a breakaway. Eichel’s primary assist on the winning goal extended his personal point streak to eight games.
The Knights lost a late lead but also trailed at three different points in the game. They answered Calgary’s goals each time.
Stone, who also had two assists, tied the game 3-3 on the power play six minutes into the third period before Karlsson put the Knights ahead with 3:46 remaining in regulation.
“We know we have a good team and we know that we can come back any night,” Karlsson said. “I think we believe in ourselves that much and we battled back today. Unfortunately, they tied it up again, but we showed some resilience and got the (win).”
Right wing Jonathan Marchessault had three assists for the Knights, while center Chandler Stephenson and Karlsson each had a goal and an assist.
Coach Bruce Cassidy worked with his team during Tuesday’s morning skate on defending opponents with an extra attacker. He thought his team was better against Calgary, even though a puck went in the Knights’ net.
“Let’s face it, we need to be better in that area. If that’s a playoff game, that can really hurt you,” Cassidy said. “But I think tonight it was more of a lucky goal than a breakdown on our part.
“We have 52 games to get it squared away. It’s a concern, but it’s a concern you have time to fix.”
Here are three takeaways from the win:
1. Injuries
The Knights have another injury on their blue line.
Defenseman Kaedan Korczak did not play Tuesday after leaving Sunday’s game with an injury. Cassidy did not know the severity of Korczak’s injury as of Tuesday morning.
“He came in and got treatment and he’s being further evaluated,” Cassidy said. “Hopefully it’s not long-term, but we’re still waiting to hear on that.”
Defenseman Brayden Pachal took Korczak’s spot in the lineup.
Goaltender Jiri Patera served as Thompson’s backup because goaltender Adin Hill is still not available as he recovers from a lower-body injury.
Cassidy said defensemen Alec Martinez and Shea Theodore also remain out while dealing with injuries of their own. Martinez hasn’t played since Nov. 19 because of a lower-body injury. Theodore last appeared Nov. 22 because of an upper-body injury that required surgery.
“They’re still a bit away,” Cassidy said.
2. Powerful power play
The Knights’ power play continues to get results.
They struck twice on the man advantage Tuesday. It’s the second time they’ve scored two-power play goals in a game in the last week, after also doing so against the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 6.
The Knights have at least one power-play goal in six of their last seven games. The only time they were shut out on the man advantage in that stretch was in Saturday’s 6-1 win against Dallas, when they received just two opportunities.
“Special teams has been a strength for us,” Cassidy said. “Some of this streak has a lot to do with winning the special-teams battle on a regular basis, which allows you to get a point and sometimes two. Tonight, we outscored them 2-0. If we don’t do that, we’re not talking about a win tonight.”
3. Heating up
Stephenson scored for the third straight game after busting out of a 20-game goal drought.
He had just two goals his first 23 games of the season.
Stephenson’s three-game goal streak is his first since Oct. 20-24, 2022.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
