Knights drop finale 7-1, to open NHL playoffs against Kings
CALGARY, Alberta — This was not the kind of meaningless game Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant was looking for.
The Knights didn’t just end their season with a loss Saturday night. They didn’t compete, they left their starting goaltender hung out to dry and played as poor and sloppy a hockey game as they have all season in getting routed by the Calgary Flames 7-1 at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
But they do know their opponent in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Knights, who won the Pacific Division in their inaugural NHL season with 51 wins and 109 points, will face the Los Angeles Kings, with Game 1 of the best-of-7 series expected to begin Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena. The NHL will announce the complete playoff schedule on Sunday.
“To get this game, you’ve got to be mentally prepared to play, and our guys didn’t have much to play for and it really showed,” Gallant said. “When you’re not mentally prepared to play, that’s what’s going to happen.
“I’m disappointed right now. But, believe me, it’s been a great season and I’m not worried about it. It’s going to have no effect on the game next Wednesday. We got through the game, nobody got hurt, and that’s the key for us.”
Saturday was as meaningless to the Knights as Thursday’s 4-3 loss at Edmonton. The big difference was the Knights showed up and competed against the Oilers. Against the Flames, they were lackluster, playing with little energy and not giving goalie Marc-Andre Fleury much of a chance.
Calgary’s Mark Jankowski was the big star, recording the first four-goal game of his career, registering his hat trick by late in the second period, then getting his fourth early in the third after Malcolm Subban replaced Fleury.
For the players, it will mean putting this one behind them as quickly as possible and rebooting for postseason play. The Knights went 2-1-1 against the Kings, having dropped the last two meetings in back-to-back games Feb. 26 and 27.
“It’s hard showing up like that knowing where you are, but the worst thing was not showing up for Flower,” Jonathan Marchessault said. “We didn’t show up for him, and that’s unfortunate.”
Fleury wanted to get some work in after sitting out the past two games. But he also struggled. Jankowski’s third goal was a gift, as Fleury tried to clear the puck with his glove only to put it on Jankowski’s stick and he was a sitting duck.
“It was tough, but we’ve been through it before,” Fleury said. “It was good to skate and see a few pucks. Obviously there were a lot in the back of the net, and the last one was embarrassing. But you just have to forget about it and get ready for the playoffs.”
There were few positives to take from Saturday. One of them was the return of forward Reilly Smith after he missed 15 games with an upper-body injury. He was back with linemates William Karlsson and Marchessault, who had not played the past two games for maintenance reasons.
“The main focus was to get back up to the speed of play,” Smith said. “There are parts of my game that I could see are still a little bit rusty, but it was good to get back out there.”
The Knights got their goal from Cody Eakin, their third-line center who scored 51 seconds into the second period to cut the deficit to 3-1.
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Three takeaways
1. Why play Fleury? Coach Gerard Gallant’s decision to start Marc-Andre Fleury in a meaningless game is a puzzler. Fleury is going to get all the work he needs when the playoffs start next week, and why risk exposing him to a potential injury? Fortunately for the Knights, he got through the game unscathed.
2. Ref leaves game. Referee Ian Walsh collided with the Knights’ Reilly Smith nine seconds into the second period and appeared woozy after hitting his head on the ice. He eventually left the game with a possible concussion but returned later in the period.
3. Pregame ceremony. The Flames paid tribute to the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team before the game with a moment of silence that saw players from both teams gather at the center ice circle. The Knights began the season Oct. 6 in Dallas with a moment of silence for the Oct. 1 Strip shooting victims and ended the season the same way to honor the Broncos.
Steve Carp Review-Journal
