3 takeaways from Knights’ win: Team aces difficult test

The Knights right wing darted into the offensive zone in the first period Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, spun hard in the left circle and dished the puck to center William Karlsson.

Karlsson tapped it back to left wing Reilly Smith. Smith left it for defenseman Shea Theodore. Theodore fired it at goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, then waited.

It wasn’t until he was past the goal line that he realized the puck trickled past the line and he scored.

The gorgeous passing sequence epitomized the Knights’ impressive performance in a 5-4 win over the Lightning in front of an announced crowd of 18,317 at T-Mobile Arena. They walked into a heavyweight fight and threw haymakers from the jump.

The Knights won their fifth straight game, moving into a tie with the Dallas Stars for the most points in the Western Conference.

“It’s the time of the year (when) we have to step up,” right wing Jonathan Marchessault said. “We have to find a way to get through and a way to win hockey games. I think right now we’re doing that, and we have a good thing going.”

Saturday was a test for the Knights (34-18-4).

Their previous four wins were exciting, but none came against a team firmly in the playoff picture. The Lightning (35-17-3), winners of the past three Eastern Conference crowns and the 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cups, were a different breed.

The Knights were unfazed.

They fired four goals past Vasilevskiy, the 2019 Vezina Trophy winner, on 10 shots in the first period. It was the first time in Vasilevskiy’s career he allowed four in the first, according to Sportsnet.

Every tally proved crucial because the Lightning kept throwing punches. Tampa Bay became the Knights’ first opponent in six games to score more than two goals.

The Lightning struck first when left wing Vladislav Namestnikov deflected a feed from right wing Corey Perry 6:10 into the first.

Left wing Brett Howden, a Tampa Bay first-round draft pick in 2016, answered in only seven seconds. It was the fastest response goal in Knights history.

The Lightning took the lead again 6:57 into the first when captain Steven Stamkos ripped a one-timer to the top corner of the net.

The Knights came right back. Marchessault tied the game at 2 only 1:20 later. Theodore’s magical moment gave the Knights a 3-2 lead with 5:40 left in the first. Then Marchessault struck again with 2:14 before the first intermission.

Tampa Bay coach John Cooper challenged the play, arguing Marchessault had played the puck with a high stick, but officials confirmed the goal.

Perry got the Lightning within a goal 4:29 into the second. The Knights kept their opponent at arm’s length the rest of the way.

Tampa Bay, despite being down a goal for the majority of the third period, had only five shots. The Lightning got a power play with a chance to tie things up with 4:40 remaining but came up short.

Center Nicolas Roy scored an empty-net goal to put the Knights ahead 5-3 with 1:09 remaining. Center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scored for the Lightning with 11 seconds left, but it was too late for his team to rally.

”We came out with a really good third period, I thought,” defenseman Brayden McNabb said. “Overall, pretty good game and good team to beat.”

Here are three takeaways from the Knights’ win:

1. Mighty Marchessault

Marchessault was a man possessed against his former team.

His third two-goal game of the season snapped a 13-game drought, the longest of his Knights career. Marchessault also finished with a game-high seven shots. No one else had more than three.

“It’s probably the longest I’ve gone (without scoring), but you just have to move on,” Marchessault said.

2. Theodore shines

Saturday was Theodore’s first three-point game of the season. He had it locked up before the first period was out by assisting on both of Marchessault’s goals.

Theodore always seems to play well against the Lightning. He has three goals and nine assists in 10 games against Tampa Bay, including his dramatic game-winner in the first-ever meeting between the two teams Dec. 19, 2017.

“He can just manufacture stuff out of nothing,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Those are special players, and every team needs them.”

3. Rapid fire

The first period featured some of the most fast-paced action of the NHL season.

The seven seconds between Namestnikov and Howden’s tallies tied the mark for the fastest two goals in a game. The 47 seconds between those and Stamkos’ power-play strike became the second-fastest three-goal sequence.

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.