3 takeaways from Knights’ win: Domination of Jets continues
Right wing Keegan Kolesar put it best. Games are 60 minutes for a reason.
There are times when it takes mere seconds for everything to flip in another direction. The Golden Knights found themselves in one such spot Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre.
The Knights were trailing late in the third period despite being in control most of the game. Two tripping penalties by the Jets then opened the door to a comeback.
Right wing Victor Olofsson tied the game with a power-play goal with 1:49 remaining in regulation, then left wing Ivan Barbashev scored with 1:15 left in overtime to hand the Knights their fourth consecutive victory.
“We didn’t let it waver in any way in our play,” Kolesar said. “Played right up to the whistle, and we got the two points.”
The Knights (19-7-3) trailed 2-1 in the third after defenseman Josh Morrissey scored for Winnipeg with 9:05 remaining.
But the Jets gave their opponent life. Winnipeg center Gabriel Vilardi tripped defenseman Shea Theodore in the defensive zone with 2:40 left in the third to give the Knights their third power play of the game.
Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo tripped captain Mark Stone 13 seconds later. The Knights had 1:47 to score on a two-man advantage, and capitalized when Stone set up Olofsson.
Barbashev proceeded to finish a two-on-one in overtime to end things after Theodore forced a turnover in the neutral zone. It was the first overtime goal of Barbashev’s 544-game NHL career.
“If something doesn’t go your way in the first minute or whatever it may be, you have another 59 minutes to play,” Kolesar said.
Goaltender Adin Hill made 18 saves for the Knights to improve to 7-1-1 in his last nine starts. It was the team’s eighth straight win over the Jets. The Knights have won 12 of their last 13 meetings with Winnipeg, including their five-game playoff series victory in the first round in 2023.
“We were down 2-1 in the third, and I thought we played really well,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We didn’t give up much for two periods, but hung in there.”
Here are three takeaways from the win:
1. Stone on the power play
The Knights’ power play suffered when Stone was out 14 games with a lower-body injury.
It’s looked much better since his return. The Knights scored two power-play goals in Stone’s first game back against the Dallas Stars on Dec. 6, then converted again Thursday.
Stone’s passing played a key role in Olofsson’s goal. His skates were on the goal line and he slid the puck across the offensive zone to Olofsson for a one-timer.
It was Stone’s second power-play assist since coming back, with both coming from the goal line. It’s an extra dimension he adds to the Knights’ attack.
2. Deserved to win
The Knights, in their first game following a five-day break, played like a well-rested team. They had a 12-4 edge in shots in the first period.
The Knights still trailed 1-0 thanks to a rebound goal from Winnipeg right wing Nikita Chibrikov, but they were proud of their start.
They carried that effort over to the rest of the game. The Knights had a 84-43 edge in shot attempts, a 37-13 edge in scoring chances and a 17-5 edge in high-danger scoring chances Thursday.
They weren’t rewarded until Kolesar’s goal 4:34 into the third period, but they stuck with it and came out with a win.
3. Whitecloud returns
Defenseman Zach Whitecloud returned to the Knights’ lineup Thursday after missing seven games with an upper-body injury.
The Brandon, Manitoba, native was a minus-2 in 15:55, but his return marked the first time the team had its entire lineup healthy and available.
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
