3 takeaways: Lineup shuffling spurs Knights past Kraken — PHOTOS
The Golden Knights allowed the first goal for the fifth straight game less than three minutes in Saturday, and it prompted coach Bruce Cassidy to make some changes with his forwards.
Two of his best goal scorers were benched midway through the period, including the one replacing Ivan Barbashev on the top line. Cassidy shortened the bench in a major way.
Turns out it was the kind of wake-up call the Knights needed.
The Knights scored three times in a five-minute span to turn a one-goal deficit into a two-goal lead, and the pressure carried on from there in a 6-2 win over the Seattle Kraken at T-Mobile Arena, their seventh victory in their past eight games.
“We’re a good team,” left wing Keegan Kolesar said. “When we’re all playing how we have to, we can be pretty dangerous.”
Kolesar echoed the sentiment that it shouldn’t take the Knights (22-8-3) falling behind to find their game. Seattle (15-18-2) took a 1-0 lead 2:34 into the game when defenseman Vince Dunn scored on the power play. The Kraken shut down the neutral zone in the process, and the Knights couldn’t get anything going offensively.
That prompted Cassidy to make some changes. Pavel Dorofeyev did not play the final 10 minutes of the period, and Victor Olofsson also sat for the final seven minutes of the frame. Brett Howden was moved to the top line as a result.
Then, things started clicking.
Kolesar tied it 1-1 at 12:39 while catching Seattle in a line change and scoring on a breakaway. Howden scored 1:11 later off a behind-the-net feed from Jack Eichel, and Nic Hague made it 3-1 at 17:48 with his first goal since Oct. 25.
The guys that moved up the lineup delivered. Cassidy said there’s more concern on the guys moving down the lineup and how they would respond.
“Whatever’s going through their head, they have to be able to park it and get going,” Cassidy said. “I give them as much credit as well.”
Cassidy kept that strategy by design, even when the Knights took the lead they would never relinquish. He wanted to send the message, have everyone regroup in the locker room at intermission and continue playing the right way.
That’s what they did for the final 40 minutes.
Captain Mark Stone had a goal and two assists, and Kolesar and Howden had a goal and an assist each for the Knights, who improved to 10-2-1 against Pacific Division opponents this season. Goaltender Ilya Samsonov made 21 saves to improve to 8-3-1.
“Them scoring first, obviously, that’s not what we want,” Hague said. “We responded really well to be able to come (into the locker room) with a lead after the first period. I thought there was a lot of good we did.”
The Knights kept the pressure up in the second period by holding the Kraken to two shots through the first 18 minutes.
The Knights added three more goals in the third, with William Karlsson, Noah Hanifin and Stone finding the back of the net.
It will go down as another come-from-behind win for the Knights, their 12th of the season — one behind the Washington Capitals for the league lead — and while those wins have shown character as time has gone on, it’s still something they’d like to avoid.
The winning is what matters, and the Knights have a four-point lead on the Los Angeles Kings in the division. They’ll play their final game before the Christmas break Monday against the Anaheim Ducks.
“It’s unfortunate there’s a running trend that we have to be down to find that (resiliency) within ourselves,” Kolesar said. “As the season goes on, we will correct that, but it’s nice to know we have that ability to come back in the game and go forward.”
Here are three takeaways from the win:
1. Stephenson’s return
The Knights spoiled center Chandler Stephenson’s return to T-Mobile Arena in his first game since signing a seven-year deal with Seattle in the offseason.
Stephenson, who played 4½ seasons with the Knights and was instrumental in their run to the Stanley Cup in 2023, was presented with a video tribute and a warm reception from the crowd at the first TV timeout.
Stephenson recorded two power-play assists for the 200th and 201st of his NHL career. He leads Seattle with 20 assists and is third on the team with 23 points.
Stephenson’s first year with the Kraken has been anything but memorable given where Seattle is at in the standings, but for a moment, his time in Vegas was remembered fondly.
2. Strong Samsonov
It was another strong start for Samsonov, who has continued his run of good form since allowing six goals on Nov. 30 against Utah. Samsonov has allowed five goals in his past three starts, all while the Knights have given up fewer than 25 shots in each of those outings.
Samsonov pushed his goals-against average to below 3.00 for the first time since the beginning of the season and is nearing a .900 save percentage (.898). Samsonov was coming off a 20-save effort in a 3-2 win in Minnesota on Sunday.
“Good for him to stay ready,” Cassidy said. “I was really happy with his game in Minny. To go the extra mile to prepare, he’s done that.”
3. Manitoba Men
Kolesar and Howden added to their totals for their best seasons of their careers.
Kolesar scored his eighth goal, a new career high, and Howden tallied his 13th goal for his second consecutive multipoint game.
Both have been rewarded with long-term extensions this season and are showing their worth each game that passes.
“It’s awesome to see the success Brett’s having,” Kolesar said. “I saw it firsthand in the gym. We push each other all summer.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
