LAS VEGAS — The rough homestand that the Vegas Golden Knights have endured ended on a painful note Thursday.
A 3-3 game in overtime, with a late power play for Vegas, turned into disaster as Jean-Gabriel Pageau got the puck off a faceoff, walked in, and beat Akira Schmid for a shorthanded, game-winning overtime goal, giving the New York Islanders a 4-3 win and two points.
If the Islanders had not drawn a bench minor penalty for too many men on the ice after a sloppy change, Pageau likely never would have seen the ice and forfeited any chance to be the hero. But when you’re scuffling like the Golden Knights currently are, things like that happen.
Even the solid debut of rookie Braeden Bowman and Reilly Smith finally scoring for the first time since October 9 wasn’t enough to finish the six-game stand at T-Mobile Arena on a positive note. Instead, the Knights went just 1-3-2 over the stretch, picking up only four out of a possible 12 points.
“Closing games has been a strength for us,” said Knights coach Bruce Cassidy. “When we didn’t extend the lead after their failed challenge cost us.”
Cassidy was referring to the aftermath of Smith’s third-period goal, which helped erase a 2-0 first-period deficit to give Vegas a 3-2 lead. Islanders coach Patrick Roy challenged for goaltender interference, but the challenge was denied, and the Knights earned their fourth power play of the evening.
We all know how Vegas has struggled with the man advantage. Since Mark Stone went out on October 18, the Knights have managed just three power-play goals in 34 attempts.
To try to rectify that, Cassidy inserted Bowman, a 22-year-old winger who was called up from Henderson of the American Hockey League. With center William Karlsson placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury — whose status Cassidy characterized as week-to-week — the Knights decided to give Bowman a shot rather than keep Alexander Holtz in the lineup.
Bowman looked comfortable playing alongside Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Tomas Hertl, and Pavel Dorofeyev. While he didn’t register a point, Bowman played 16:45, took four shots on goal, though he also had four missed shots.
“It was awesome, crazy, a dream come true,” Bowman said of his emotions reaching the NHL. “It’s a bit surreal. Once the puck drops, you just focus on the game. The crowd, everything else, it just goes away. Jack did a really good job bringing guys through. I was just trying to read the play. I wish I could have finished a couple of those off.”
Cassidy had no issues with Bowman’s performance. “He was good on the walls,” he said. “There’s a lot to like. He helped us. The more he plays, the more comfortable he’ll be.”
For Smith, whose goal gave Vegas its only lead when he scored with 9:15 remaining in regulation, perhaps it’ll help spark his season. He’s been a streaky goal scorer throughout his career.
“Goals aren’t coming easily, so you have to grind your way through and create opportunities in the paint,” Smith said.
While the Knights were pleased with their rookie Bowman, the Islanders continue to be ecstatic over the play of Matthew Schaefer, the rookie defenseman they selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Thursday, Schaefer scored on the power play to give the Islanders a 2-0 first-period lead. He also assisted on Mat Barzal’s game-tying goal with 2:37 left, after coach Roy pulled goaltender Ilya Sorokin for a sixth attacker.
Schaefer played with poise throughout and logged just under 26 minutes, the most of any Islander. He now has six goals and eight assists in his first 17 games as the Islanders continue their climb in the Metropolitan Division.
New York sits in fourth place with 20 points, just one behind third-place Pittsburgh. At 7-4-5 with 19 points, the Knights are in fifth place in the Pacific Division.
After starting the season 5-0-2, Vegas is winless in six of its last nine contests. They’re on the road with back-to-back games Saturday in St. Louis against the Blues and Sunday in St. Paul against the Minnesota Wild before returning home Tuesday to face the Rangers.
“It’s hard to come back and win,” Smith said, summing up the less-than-successful homestand. “We’re putting ourselves in that position too often so we have to figure that out.”
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/golden-knights-end-disappointing-homestand-071317796.html
