Wild’s rink still house of horrors for Golden Knights
Since their inaugural season, the Golden Knights have been known for their fierce home-ice advantage at T-Mobile Arena.
Teams enter the building only to get chewed up and spit back out where they came from. The rink’s mystique is such that it inspired the nickname “Vegas Flu.”
Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, has been the exact opposite for the Knights. The Wild’s barn has been a house of horrors in which the Knights rarely escape unscathed.
That continued Monday in the team’s 2-0 loss that snapped a six-game winning streak.
“They’re a good team, obviously,” goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury said. “We don’t really look at the stats from last season or if we won or not here. It’s always a new game. It’s always important to win that game. I think tonight they defended well. They capitalized early in the game, and we just couldn’t get back. It was a close game all night long.”
The loss dropped the Knights to 1-4 in Xcel Energy Center. It was also their second straight shutout in the building after losing 4-0 on Feb. 11, 2020.
The Knights have five goals in their five games in Minnesota. Their win came in a shootout Oct. 6, 2018, after they scored one goal in regulation and overtime. Those offensive struggles showed up again Monday, as the Knights were shut out for the second time this season.
“We’ve got to find a way to get a goal,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “We did a lot of good things defensively and obviously in the net.”
The Knights will have to find a way to open things up in Minnesota soon. They have three more games in the Xcel Energy Center, including Wednesday’s rematch.
The NHL’s playoff format, which features division-only matchups in the first two rounds, also makes it more likely the Knights could get paired with Minnesota for a series. That means the Knights have to improve their 4-7 lifetime record against the Wild, their third-worst against any opponent ahead of Boston and Columbus.
“There were some good chances in the blue paint,” left wing Max Pacioretty said. “(We) maybe have to be heavier on our sticks around there in the scoring areas.”
Here are three more takeaways from the loss:
1. Power play fizzles
One reason the Knights were shut out for the second time is their power play couldn’t lift them when they were struggling to score five-on-five.
The team was 0-for-3 on the man advantage with four shots on goal. The Knights haven’t scored in their last 11 power-play opportunities.
“We had enough power plays that we need to generate a goal on one of them,” DeBoer said.
2. Wild’s third line dominates
Minnesota is one of the few West Division teams that can match the Knights’ forward depth. It showed Monday.
The Wild’s third line of left wing Zach Parise (once DeBoer’s captain in New Jersey), center Victor Rask and right wing Kevin Fiala gave the Knights fits. Fiala scored Minnesota’s first goal and had several other chances, including a breakaway near the end of the game.
The three finished with a 9-2 edge in scoring chances at five-on-five.
3. Shutout stats
Monday marked the 11th time in team history the Knights were shut out. It was the sixth time on the road.
Wild goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen became the third rookie to hold the Knights without a goal. Nashville’s Juuse Saros did it Jan. 16, 2018, and Columbus’ Elvis Merzlikins did it Jan. 11, 2019.
“(Kahkonen) was outstanding,” Minnesota coach Dean Evason said. “It was such a grinding game. He was just very calm, very solid and obviously very good.”
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.
