3 takeaways: Knights squander 2-goal lead, fall to Stars in OT
The Golden Knights led by two goals and appeared to be in control.
But mental mistakes and a costly penalty woke up the Dallas Stars long enough for Wyatt Johnston to break the Knights’ hearts again.
Johnston, the Stars’ 21-year-old standout, scored a hat trick that included the winning goal 20 seconds into overtime, and the Knights squandered a two-goal lead to lose 4-3 at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday night.
Johnston and center Roope Hintz had a two-on-one after defenseman Shea Theodore was stopped on a breakaway 10 seconds into the extra frame, and Hintz found Johnston in front of an open cage after pulling goaltender Adin Hill out of his crease.
“There was less of the game tonight where I thought we were poor or that it got away from us, right? So we’re straightening that part out,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Obviously, you want to get to the finish line.”
Center Jack Eichel had a goal and an assist, but the Knights (31-15-5) lost to the Stars (32-17-1) for the second time in five days. Dallas used a three-goal second period to win by the same score Friday.
Hill made 25 saves Tuesday.
The Knights led 3-1 at 3:57 of the second when right wing Pavel Dorofeyev scored a power-play goal on a five-on-three situation.
Johnston cut the lead to 3-2 1:07 later on a short-handed goal following a blue-line turnover from Theodore that sprung an odd-man rush.
The turning point, however, came via a penalty against captain Mark Stone. He was called for tripping at 7:56 of the third when he went headfirst into Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen’s knee, setting off a scrum in the Dallas zone.
Stone claimed he was tripped by Hintz as he went to the penalty box, and was only given two minutes for the infraction. Heiskanen was helped back to the locker room.
“I’m not going to dive headfirst into a guy. I’m clearly just trying to reach to make a play, and the guy trips me as I’m making the play,” Stone said. “The outcome is obviously not ideal for me or him. I don’t want to make that play. I’m not a dirty player. I was just trying to reach for the puck, and somebody got their stick in my blade and I fell down.”
Johnston got his revenge at 11:54 when he forced a turnover of Stone in the neutral zone, did a give-and-go with Hintz and scored his second goal to tie it 3-3.
Dallas won the season series 2-1 after the Knights won the first meeting Dec. 6, with all games decided by one goal.
“I just look at it as they were opportunistic. We didn’t try to go in a shell. We weren’t risky,” Cassidy said. “They scored on their chance. That’s hockey some nights. That’s where you need to save or defend the rush better. One or the other.”
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
1. Pietrangelo speaks
Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said an injury he’s been “dealing with for a while now” is what led him to withdraw from the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.
Pietrangelo, who was set to represent Team Canada in the round-robin tournament from Feb. 12-20, did not provide specifics on what the injury was. He said he believes the two-week break will help him rehab and prepare for the Knights’ playoff push.
“I just think, in my head, talking with the team, the doctors, it gave me the best chance to stay on the ice healthy, especially for the second half of the year,” Pietrangelo said. “If I need to take more days before the first game after the break, that’s a long period of time to get rest and get rid of what I’m dealing with.”
It’s an injury that Pietrangelo can play through. Cassidy said it’ll be Pietrangelo’s call if he needs to sit out for a game, but so far it doesn’t look like it. He led all defensemen in ice time Tuesday with 23:09.
2. Lavoie debuts
Right wing Raphael Lavoie played 8:28 in his Knights debut after being called up from Henderson.
The 24-year-old appeared in his eighth career game on the fourth line in place of Alexander Holtz.
Lavoie scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 overtime win over the Colorado Eagles on Saturday for the Silver Knights’ fifth straight win.
Lavoie was claimed off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers twice in a week before the season began. The former second-round pick from 2019 has yet to record an NHL point.
3. Missed opportunity
The Knights stressed playing a better net-front game after how the second period unfolded Friday.
They got that response in the 4-1 win over the Florida Panthers on Sunday in which Hill made 32 saves in their best defensive effort in the past two weeks.
The Knights dominated in the first period, thanks to the play of their top line, but eased up after Dorofeyev’s goal. They squandered a chance to keep the momentum they built over the past week.
The little details that have hampered them cost them again.
“We just couldn’t stick to it,” left wing Ivan Barbashev said. “We just couldn’t create anything. That’s what it came down to.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
