3 takeaways: Knights’ mini-slump continues with 4th loss in 5 games
The Golden Knights, once again, were right there at the end with a chance to win.
Yet again, though, the bounces didn’t go their way.
Suddenly, the Knights find themselves in the midst of their worst slump of the season. This time they gave up three unanswered goals in the second half of the game and lost 3-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Center Tomas Hertl and defenseman Shea Theodore scored, but the Knights (29-13-3) lost for the fourth time in five games despite taking a 1-0 lead in the second period.
The Knights — who had just one shot on goal in the first period Tuesday in a 5-3 loss in Nashville — had a much better start with a 13-7 edge in shots but couldn’t break through thanks to stellar play by Carolina goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov.
Hertl opened the scoring at 4:22 of the middle frame, but Kochetkov kept Carolina (27-16-3) in it long enough to take over. Right wing Seth Jarvis scored twice, and winger Jackson Blake scored.
“That’s something we have to continue to build off of,” Theodore said. “We have to build off our start.”
Hertl said the Knights eased up after his goal. They tried to “be a little too fancy” with the puck, trying to make plays in the neutral zone that weren’t there.
Then came the times when the puck luck didn’t go their way.
Blake’s centering pass on a three-on-two deflected off defenseman Noah Hanifin’s stick and past goaltender Adin Hill 46 seconds into the third period to give Carolina a 2-1 lead.
Jarvis’ second goal at 6:09 of the third came after breaking up a would-be tap-in goal for Ivan Barbashev and turning it into a two-on-one. Jarvis received the pass from captain Jordan Staal to make it 3-1.
“Things are getting magnified in the mistakes we make because we’re not scoring enough to overcome them,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We would’ve been fine if we settled down (on the third goal).”
The Knights haven’t been completely out of their past four losses. Some have been decided by bounces, others have just been one comeback too late — like the last two.
Right now, Cassidy said, the pucks aren’t going in like they have been for the other teams. That’s been the difference so far.
The Knights will see if their fortune turns around Saturday at the Chicago Blackhawks on the second leg of a back-to-back.
“It’s not going in for us right now,” Cassidy said. “That’s the Ranger game, that’s Nashville and that’s today. They each had different stories, but at the end of the day, that’s what it is right now. We’re a one-goal difference where the other team is making one more play than we are.”
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
1. Penalty shot
Right wing Keegan Kolesar had a chance to give the Knights a two-goal lead in the second period with a penalty shot after defenseman Sean Walker was called for slashing on a partial breakaway.
Kolesar tried to go blocker side on Kochetkov, but Carolina’s goalie made the save at 9:28.
Jarvis tied it 2:29 later.
That stop was the shot in the arm Carolina needed. It woke the crowd up after a period-and-a-half of uneventful hockey. That was also the start of the Knights not keeping the pressure on the Hurricanes like Hertl mentioned.
2. Crucial penalty
The Knights gave themselves a chance after Theodore scored a power-play goal 9:52 into the third and pressed for the tying goal.
They pressed a little too hard when trying with the extra attacker late. The Knights were called for too many men on the ice with 1:19 to go when left wing Victor Olofsson hopped over the boards too early while Hill was getting off the ice.
“We felt Hilly was at the bench,” Cassidy said. “(Olofsson) was gone. It was too late to grab him. I felt he was close enough to the bench where we could send our guy. It didn’t work out that way.”
That forced the Knights to play the final minute at five-on-five with no goalie. Hertl had a chance in close with 11 seconds left, but Kochetkov made the save.
“Another detail,” Cassidy said. “Another little thing.”
3. Schwindt for Holtz
The Knights made a notable lineup change, taking right wing Alexander Holtz out in favor of Cole Schwindt.
Holtz played in 126 consecutive games dating back to last season with the New Jersey Devils, but the seventh overall pick from the 2020 draft has struggled in his first season with the Knights with 10 points in 44 games.
Schwindt played 10:29 while skating with center William Karlsson and left wing Brett Howden.
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.