Knights hope Smith’s OT winner lifts slumping power play

The Golden Knights’ exhale after their 5-4 overtime win Friday could be heard from St. Louis.

They did it. They scored a power-play goal.

The Knights were mired in a 0-for-16 slump when Blues defenseman Torey Krug went to the penalty box for tripping 58 seconds into the extra session. Their grips on their sticks could not have been tighter.

The team is hoping right wing Reilly Smith’s slump-busting, overtime winner will loosen things up again.

“We’re just stressed out there when we get out there,” captain Mark Stone said. “I think guys are thinking a little too much, panicking a little too much with the puck. We have great players who can make a great power play. We just have to relax and chill a bit.”

The Knights ranked 16th in the NHL on the power play before their slide began at 20.7 percent. They had fallen to 24th (16.9 percent) by the time Friday’s game started, a number that’s far too low for a team with several skilled forwards and capable quarterbacks on the back end.

Smith echoed Stone’s comments by saying players were trying to “reinvent the wheel a little bit” in order to find a way to score. They were thinking too much instead of letting their instincts take over. That continued Friday.

The Knights only had two shots on goal their first three power plays in St. Louis. The team struggled to set up in the offensive zone, and was too selective when it got there.

“Sometimes the best thing you can do is just put the puck on net and score an ugly one,” Smith said. “I think that’s what we’re going to have to start doing a little bit more.”

Smith did exactly that in overtime. He didn’t do anything fancy with the puck when left wing Jonathan Marchessault slid it across the zone to him. He simply lined it up and fired a one-timer straight at the net and beat goaltender Jordan Binnington.

The Knights’ relief was palpable after. With that power-play goal out of the way, the team hopes there are more to come.

“It’s like a goal scorer in a slump,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “As soon as you get that first one, everything relaxes a little bit.”

Here are three more takeaways from the win:

1. Nosek elevated

DeBoer liked forward Tomas Nosek’s first period so much he promoted him in the second.

Nosek was moved from fourth-line left wing to third-line center in what proved to be a shrewd move. He scored his first goal since the season opener, and since he tested positive for COVID-19, with 9:48 left in the second period.

“He had good energy, good legs, good jump,” DeBoer said. “I think he’s just starting to look like himself again here.”

Nosek’s line was also on the ice for the Knights’ fourth goal from defenseman Alec Martinez. Nosek finished with a plus-1 rating for the second time this season.

”He was really good tonight,” said right wing Nicolas Roy, who had a season-high two points on Nosek’s line. “He was making plays all over the ice.”

2. Penalty problems

DeBoer gave the officials in St. Louis an earful over two penalties that weren’t called in the third period.

The first came before the Blues tied the game at 3 with a power-play goal 4:53 into the frame. DeBoer held up six fingers on the bench to the officials to indicate he thought St. Louis had too many men on the ice before the play it scored on.

The second came with 1:21 left in the third when a Blues player flipped the puck out of play from the defensive zone. DeBoer and the Knights’ bench lobbied for a delay of game penalty, but the officials didn’t call one after huddling.

DeBoer said after the game he thinks it could make sense to have puck over glass penalties be reviewable.

“Obviously, it’s a tough call at ice level,” DeBoer said. “And I believe it is a call the camera angle could get right probably 95 percent of the time.”

3. Perron scores again

Ex-Golden Misfit David Perron continues to torture his former team.

Perron scored a power-play goal with 9:20 remaining in the third period, giving him eight points his last six games against the Knights, including the postseason. Five of those points have been goals.

“He’s a great shooter,” Stone said. “When he gets his time and space in shooting areas, that’s where he capitalizes.”

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