Golden Knights snap Lightning’s 11-game win streak
Remember when the Golden Knights had a hard time beating teams that were above them in the standings?
Who could forget?
The Gerard Gallant news conference. A question about knocking off playoff teams. The door nearly being ripped off its hinges.
But the Knights knocked off their fourth straight proven opponent Thursday, ending the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 11-game win streak with an impressive 5-3 victory at T-Mobile Arena.
“I really liked our game halfway through the first period on,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “I think our group is starting to believe in each other and playing with some confidence. We’re starting to score some goals, which always gives you a little more margin for error. It was a good team win for us.”
Defenseman Alec Martinez finished with a goal and an assist in his debut after being acquired Wednesday from Los Angeles as the Knights moved into sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division.
Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone each had a goal and an assist to help the Knights match a season high with their fourth straight victory.
The Knights defeated the past two Stanley Cup champions (St. Louis and Washington), last season’s Presidents’ Trophy recipient (Tampa Bay) and another team (New York Islanders) in the thick of the playoff chase on this five-game homestand.
They improved to 13-12-4 against teams that started Thursday in a playoff position.
Steven Stamkos scored twice, and Kevin Shattenkirk also had a goal for the Lightning, who were without third-leading scorer Brayden Point due to illness.
Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was handed his first regulation loss since Dec. 14 and saw his 21-game point streak (19-0-2) halted.
The Lightning had been 23-2-1 since Dec. 23.
“These last four games have been against strong opponents, so we should feel good about our game,” Pacioretty said. “But we should know the reason why we’re talking about it is because of doing work in the dirty areas and helping each other out.”
Here’s what stood out:
Memorable debut
It’s an unofficial rule that the new guy scores in his Knights debut. Chandler Stephenson did it. So did Nicolas Roy and Cody Glass, if rookies count.
It’s no surprise then that Martinez netted a goal in his first game and went on to collect his 200th career point.
Martinez, who scored for the Kings at T-Mobile Arena on Jan. 9, swooped in from the point and one-timed a rebound past Vasilevskiy with 1:55 left in the first period.
The goal helped the Knights recover after Tampa Bay controlled most of the period and went ahead when Shattenkirk’s pass deflected off Nick Holden’s skate past Marc-Andre Fleury, who made 24 stops to improve to 3-0 with his gold pads.
The Knights have allowed a league-high 66 goals in the first period.
“I was just trying to get involved,” Martinez said. “It was pretty low-risk and worth the chance to just see if a rebound would kick out there. It was kind of rolling off his pad, so I just tried to get it on net. Fortunately, it went in.”
Quick strike
DeBoer put the fourth line out to start the third period, and the Knights responded with two goals in the opening 47 seconds.
Ryan Reaves set the tone 10 seconds in when he created a turnover, fought off Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn then ripped a shot past goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Thirty seconds later, William Carrier drew a penalty on Coburn and Pacioretty cashed in after seven seconds with his team-high 28th goal.
“There’s been a lot of talk about that line starting periods and games for us because of the energy they bring,” Pacioretty said. “They do a lot of good things, but I think the biggest thing is they energize our group … and that was a good example of that.”
Made of Stone
The Knights held their collective breath when Stone headed to the locker room after he said he took a puck in a sensitive area with about seven minutes remaining in the first period.
Stone wasn’t on the bench to start the second period, and Reilly Smith took the opening shift in Stone’s spot at right wing. But the Knights’ leading scorer only missed one shift and scored the go-ahead goal with 3:21 left in the second period when he beat Vasilevskiy on a breakaway for his 21st goal.
Tomas Nosek wasn’t as fortunate and left with a little more than six minutes remaining in the third period after appearing to take a puck to the face. Nosek wore a full shield for five games after taking a puck to the face Feb. 4 against Tampa Bay.
DeBoer did not have an update following the game on Nosek, who was undergoing treatment.
Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.
