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For the second time in as many games, the Vegas Golden Knights found themselves on the losing end of the scoreboard. Monday, Jan. 16 the team fell short against the Dallas Stars being shutout for the first time this season, 4-0.
“We didn’t execute early on,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “You’re not making plays and you’re chasing the game.”
Before Monday’s game, it had been exactly 50 games since the last time the Golden Knights were shutout. The last time it happened was Apr. 16 at the Oilers which was a 4-0 loss also.
The loss is the 15th in regulation this year for the Golden Knights as the team now sits with a 28-15-2 record. This record is good for 58 points and a two point lead over the Seattle Kraken and Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division.
“They just tilted the ice and we could never get back momentum,” forward Reilly Smith said. “They just played a better game than we did tonight.”
Vegas continues their seven-game homestand Thursday, Jan. 19 from the T-Mobile Arena as they square off with Detroit out of the Eastern Conference. The last time these teams met was at Little Caesars Arena back on Dec. 3 in what was a 4-1 victory for Vegas.
Puck drop for Thursday is set for 7 p.m.
This seven-game homestand is the longest homestand the team has all season and after this game. Vegas is now 13-12 inside the confines of T-Mobile Arena this season.
“We’ve got to play with more intensity,” Smith said. “We’ve got to play sharper and play with more emotion.”
Left-wing Jamie Benn got the scoring going in the first period for Dallas when he scored the lone goal by either side in the opening frame. Benn’s goal came less than six minutes into the game and gave Dallas the 1-0 lead heading to the second.
This is the fourth game in a row that Vegas has surrendered the first goal of the game.
“First goal, we had an easy breakout,” Cassidy said. “We execute that, we’re on a 3-on-2 but we fumbled it a bit, both guys that make the pass and receive the pass fall down, they get to the interior and now you’re down one.”
Left-wing Joel Kiviranta made sure to extend the Dallas lead in the second period when he scored with 7:32 to go in the period to give the Stars a 2-0 lead heading into the final 20 minutes of play.
Defenseman Alec Martinez left the game with an injury in the first period and did not return to action. This means that the team is without three defensemen in Shea Theodore, Zach Whitecloud, and now Martinez.
Coming into the game, left-wing William Carrier was ruled out due to an upper-body injury. No official timetable has been given for him.
Before Saturday’s game, captain Mark Stone was listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury that he suffered in Thursday’s game versus Florida.
“We have veteran guys in the room,” Cassidy said. “The other guys should be leading the team. You know who they are. They didn’t have it and shame on them. We lost a game to Edmonton because we’re not good enough and tonight we don’t bounce back.”
Goalie Logan Thompson made his second start in as many games and was able to save 32 of the 35 shots he faced for a final save percentage of .914 in what would be Thompson’s 12th regulation loss of the year.
Thompson’s record is 18-12-1 overall for the season.
Dallas’ Jake Oettinger came out on the winning end of the goalie battle in Monday’s contest. Oettinger saved all 27 shots he faced for a perfect 1.000 final save percentage.
This is the third shutout that Oettinger has recorded this season.