One Point That Got Away, 3 Points out of 4

The Vegas Golden Knights lost a heartbreaker in overtime against the Carolina Hurricanes, despite two goals in the third period from unlikely sources to tie the game.

Vegas never led in the game, but they hung tough and stole a point and now have 3 points of a possible 4 in the first 2 games of this road trip through the gauntlet of the Eastern Conference against 4 solid playoffs bound teams.

This game was a tough one for Vegas. Though they tied it up late, it wasn’t enough for them to win.

With just over a minute left in overtime, Pietrangelo was left alone with the puck in the defensive zone. Nicolas Roy and William Carrier were more than 60 feet away in the neutral zone, looking to create some offense. Pietrangelo was pressured by Sebastian Aho, which is rare in OT, when most teams peel back into the neutral zone, not wanting to get caught out of position with that much open ice as the teams are playing 3 on 3.

Under the pressure, Pietrangelo’s pass to Carrier was slow, allowing Andrei Svechnikov to beat Carrier to the puck along the half wall on the right-wing side of the boards. Svechnikov slid down the wall and when Pietrangelo slid over toward the puck carrying forward, he left the front of the net vacant.

Pietrangelo’s decision was costly, as now the only thing between the puck and Aho gliding toward the open area in front of Laurent Brossoit was Pietrangelo and his stick.

Unable to prevent the pass across the slot to Sebastian Aho resulted in a showdown between Aho and Brossoit with the game on the line. Aho didn’t waste the opportunity to put the puck past Brossoit for the game-winning goal.

As much as this was a moral victory, overcoming a 3rd-period deficit, the decision of both Carrier and Roy to leave the defensive zone without making sure there was an outlet for Pietrangelo is questionable.

Actually, having Carrier on the ice in a 3-on-3 overtime is rare. You usually see 2 skilled forwards and a skilled defenseman out there. Roy and Pietrangelo fit this game plan, but not William Carrier. Don’t get me wrong. I like what Carrier provides for this team; with his tenacious forechecking and booming hits, he creates space for his linemates and makes opposing defenseman wary of tracking the puck back into their zone while facing the glass. But he’s not a 3-on-3 overtime guy.

Vegas once again dug themselves a hole by taking 5 minor penalties last night. They did the same thing in Washington, though they dodged a bullet there, killing off all of the Washington power plays. But last night they weren’t as lucky as Carolina wasted no time, scoring just 5 seconds into one of the PP. Aho won the faceoff to the right of Brossoit and sent the puck back to the point to Tony DeAngelo, whose shot toward the the net was redirected by Aho, extending the Carolina lead to 3-1.

The VGK have scored 4 goals in their last 4 games and not one of them is from the expected goal scorers. Michael Amadio scored the only goal in the 1-0 win in Washington and last night, the goals came from Nolan Patrick, only his 2nd goal of the season, and Brett Howden, his 5th. Nic Hague’s goal, his 4th, with just 2:30 left in the game tied the game. This speaks well for the depth of the organization when the big boys are kept off the scoresheet.

Prior to this road trip, a lot of the hockey pundits, including myself, were speculating what would be considered a decent result. Most thought, as did I, that if they could somehow pick up 3 points, they’d come home somewhat pleased. Well, if that’s where the bar was set, they’ve already reached it and have 2 games remaining that could make this road trip a booming success, especially considering the 3-3-2 record on the homestand they just completed.

Other game notes and quotes.

Mark Stone, who missed the last home game against Montreal and the Washington game because of COVID protocol, was back in the lineup. He was a -1 with no shots on goal.

Zach Whitecloud also played after missing the last 2 games also from an upper-body injury.

“Playing a very good team that is almost at full health and rested, this was a tough game on the schedule for us,” Coach Pete DeBoer said. “Over a long season, it’s important to find a way to get points in games like this. Maybe you don’t deserve a point, but we hung around, our goalie was really good. We were opportunistic and got an important point.”

Nolan Patrick on his goal: “Any goal kind of gives you a bit of confidence. I just try to keep building, try to get better each game, and try to contribute as much as I can.”

My 3 Stars Of the Game: Sebastian Aho (2G, including the GWG in OT), Nicolas Hague (his goal in the 3rd period got the game into OT where Vegas picked up a valuable point), Andrei Svechnikov (2A and whose quick thinking set up the Aho OT winning goal)

Next game is tomorrow vs. Florida Panthers at 4 p.m. Pacific Time

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Aho Power Play Goal
Nic Hague goal that tied the game at 3-3
Aho Game Winning OT Goal