Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
All good things must end
Knights singin’ the blues after nine-game win streak halted by Blues
There was an open net for Jonathan Marchessault to shoot at. Until there wasn’t.
The Golden Knights were trying to erase a 3-2 deficit Saturday at T-mobile Arena when defenseman Brayden Mcnabb fired a puck on St. Louis goaltender Jordan Binnington from the slot.
The rebound bounced to Marchessault just below the hash marks with Binnington off his feet. But just as the puck left Marchessault’s stick, center Brayden Schenn stuck his left leg out to deflect it away and preserve the Blues’ lead.
Marchessault’s chance was one of several the Knights created during a tense third period where they threw everything they had at St. Louis to try to keep their nine-game winning streak alive. It wasn’t enough.
The Knights lost 3-2 in front of an announced crowd of 18,343, falling one win short of the franchise record.
“Obviously, we had a good push in the third,” captain Mark Stone said. “Didn’t get one by him. Probably didn’t deserve to win it anyway, so back to the drawing board and try and start another streak.”
The Knights, coming off their sweep of a five-game road trip, knew entering Saturday that the first game back home after a long time away is often a tough one. They knew St. Louis would be desperate because of its 4-8 start.
That still didn’t stop any of it from coming true.
The Blues went up 1-0 thanks to a great shot from left wing Brandon Saad 9:47 into the first period. Left wing Reilly Smith tied things 59 seconds later, and right wing Phil Kessel put the Knights ahead 2:43 into the second period.
The lead didn’t seem likely to last. The Knights were outshot 19-9 in the second. Goaltender Adin Hill made several impressive saves to maintain the lead before a misplay lost it.
Hill and defenseman Nic Hague miscommunicated on an exchange behind their net, leading to a goal for left wing Ivan Barbashev with 3:54 left in the second period. Center Ryan O’reilly scored 40 seconds later to give the Blues a 3-2 lead.
The Knights tried to get back in the game. They had 22 shots on goal in the third period, eight more than they had the first 40 minutes. It was their most shots on goal in a single period this season.
It wasn’t enough to maintain the winning streak. The Knights’ second home loss still leaves them 13-3, with the second-best record in the NHL by points percentage.
Three takeaways from the defeat :
1. Hill takes first loss
Hill entered his sixth start 5-0. He was the only NHL goaltender with at least five wins and no losses.
No longer. His turnover started a sequence in which the Blues scored twice in three shots, sending him to his first loss of the season. Hill said at the last second on the exchange, he was told to move it to the other side of the zone, leading to the misplay.
“We’ll watch it, we’ll talk about it,” Hill said. “Just a little miscommunication, that’s all.”
Hill still deserves credit for keeping the Knights in front as long as he did. The Blues peppered him throughout the second period, and he didn’t blink until the end. Even the first goal Hill allowed to Saad required incredible placement from the left circle to get by him.
2. Shorthanded magic
Smith’s penalty-kill prowess is starting to seem unfair.
The left wing once again was lethal with the Knights down a man, a scenario in which the team is supposed to be at a disadvantage. Smith scored a shorthanded goal with 9:14 remaining in the second period to tie the game 1-1.
It was his Nhl-leading third shorthanded goal. Chicago is the only team that has more shorthanded goals than Smith has on his own.
He has 11 shorthanded goals in six seasons with the Knights. Only center Sebastian Aho and right wing Cam Atkinson have more in that span.
3. Good luck charm
Blues fan and actor Jon Hamm took in Saturday’s game wearing a green Barbashev St. Patrick’s Day jersey.
He appeared on the St. Louis TV broadcast in the second period. It didn’t take Barbashev long to score afterward.
Hamm also announced the Blues’ starting lineup in the locker room before the game. Based on the result, they may need to bring him on the road more often.