What do the Vegas Golden Knights have in common with someone who takes blood thinners? Once bleeding starts it may be difficult to stop.
All season long, the Golden Knights have suffered from an uncharacteristic problem: they tend to spiral after allowing a goal. That's exactly what happened when they hosted the Minnesota Wild at T-Mobile Arena on Friday. The Wild scored three quick goals in the second period, which proved too much for the Golden Knights to overcome in the 4–2 loss.
The first round was equal. The Golden Knights got off to a good start, shutting down the Minnesota power play and defeating the Wild 8–6. Colton Sissons got two breakaway chances, but Phillip Gustavsson shut the door both times.
Except for a three-minute gap early in the second period, the Golden Knights were the better team. They outshot the Wild 10-7 and created five high-danger scoring chances while allowing only one.
The problem is that during that 3:07 exception, Minnesota scored three times.
The Wild broke the ice at 5:18 of the second period. Noah Hanifin couldn't connect with Mitch Marner on a no-look backhander, and Matt Zuccarello raced to the loose puck. Zuccarello slipped between Hanifin and Rasmus Andersson, drove in alone, and completed the breakaway.
The Wild doubled their lead at 8:25 of the second minute. Yakov Trenin had the puck behind the goal and found Daniil Yurov for a one-timer. Akira Schmid made the save, but the rebound went to Zack Bogosian above the right circle and the defenseman deflected the shot past the Rockets.
Just 18 seconds later, the Wild added to their lead. Brock Faber hit a shot from the point and Michael McCarron redirected it home.
After McCarron's goal, the Golden Knights finally managed to stop the bleeding and not dig their hole any deeper. They renewed their attack, but Filip Gustavsson was exceptional.
As has often been the case this season, the Golden Knights ultimately finished in third place. Pavel Dorofeyev scored a penalty just 1:22 into the period, giving his team its first power play of the night.
The Golden Knights scored their third goal at 2:17, less than a minute into the power play. Jack Eichel delivered a pass through the middle and Pavel Dorofeyev found the winger's 30th goal of the season.
Solving Filip Gustavsson did wonders for the team's confidence and the Golden Knights continued their attack. He recorded 14 shots and created 13 scoring chances in the third period; However, their desperate offense resulted in the Wild having 10 scoring chances.
The Wild took advantage of one of those scoring opportunities and restored their two-goal lead at 15:42 of the third. Michael McCarron passed the puck out to Vladimir Tarasenko, who raced up the ice on a 3-on-1 with Yakov Trenin and Jared Spurgeon. Tarasenko entered the field, played catch with Spurgeon and fired a shot that went past Akira Schmidt short-side.
The Golden Knights refused to go quietly and responded with 3:05 remaining in regulation. Tomas Hertl pressured Kirill Kaprizov under the goal line and forced a turnover. Pavel Dorofeyev sent a centering pass to Mitch Marner, who redirected it to Filip Gustavsson.
Despite pulling Akira Schmid for an extra attacker, the Golden Knights failed to generate the expected looks and lost 4–2.
"It's pretty much the same," head coach Bruce Cassidy said after the team's loss. "We fall behind. Our stretch is very bad, and one becomes two and becomes three... It should be better now, with a more experienced group."
