2 weeks Ago By Jillian Wagner
The Vegas Golden Knights wrapped up their five-game road trip with a 3-1-1 record after sustaining a 2-1 shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche Wendesday night at Ball Arena. A low-scoring affair stretched into the fifth round of a shootout before Valeri Nichushkin iced the win for the home team, snapping the Golden Knights’ three-game winning streak. For the second game in a row, Vegas relied heavily on goaltending, and Adin Hill’s impressive 33-save performance (.
971 save percentage) was the only reason Vegas came away with a point. Hill, who has gone 3-1-1 in his last five starts, also turned aside the first four shootout attempts before Nichushkin’s game-winner. The Golden Knights didn’t record a shot in the final 16:37, including the entire five-minute overtime, which included 1:52 on the penalty kill.
In the end, Vegas registered a total of 19 shots on goal, including 10, four and five in the three regulation periods, respectively. Colorado managed 34, outshooting the Golden Knights 28-9 after the first period. The only two goals of the game came 33 seconds apart midway through the middle frame.
First, Pavel Dorofeyev gave the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead at 13:09. Alex Pietrangelo, who was back in the lineup after missing three games, completed a give-and-go with Ivan Barbashev before Dorofeyev added to his team lead in goals with his 12th of the year, beating Alexandar Georgiev with a blast in tight. What a SNIPE from below the circle by Dorofeyev 😱 pic.
twitter.com/vBEXMkK007 But Nichushkin answered quickly to reset the score, capitalizing on a turnover by William Karlsson, who also returned to the lineup after missing Monday’s contest due to the birth of his second child. Nichushkin ties it up for the Avalanche! 🏔️ pic.
twitter.com/pmih278j4q Both teams got their first power plays of the game in the third period, but neither resulted in a go-ahead goal. The ice was completely tilted in the third, however, as Colorado had the upper hand in shots (14-5), shot attempts (33-11), scoring chances (19-3), high-danger chances (8-1) and expected goal share (76.
56 percent), per Natural Stat Trick. Though Hill kept hope alive until the very end, Nichushkin secured the extra point for the Avalanche after the first nine combined shootout attempts were unsuccessful. Val Nichushkin wins it in a shootout for the Avs 🏔️ pic.
twitter.com/03o8SZaBlO Hill appeared to be injured in the second period after taking contact from Nikolai Kovalenko, but he was able to finish the game, and he was Vegas’ best player. In the end, Colorado led 88-41 in shot attempts, 53-17 in scoring chances and 19-6 in high-danger chances.
The Golden Knights have yielded 39 high-danger chances in the last two games while generating 15 of their own. But Vegas was much better defensively tonight than in previous games, with improved play in front of the net and 28 blocked shots. The fact that the Golden Knights came away with a point is still somewhat miraculous, but Vegas shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
Good teams find a way, and though it wasn’t a win, the point is a small victory in the 82-game picture. Plus, earning seven of a possible 10 points on a five-game road trip is a success, especially after the team’s 0-3-1 start on the road. At 14-6-3 through 23 games, the Golden Knights are in first place in the Pacific Division and third place in the Western Conference with 31 points and a .
674 points percentage at the critical Thanksgiving cutoff point, which is often used to predict which teams will qualify for the postseason. The Golden Knights will look to build on their strong start when they return home for a back-to-back against Winnipeg and Utah on Friday and Saturday before hosting Edmonton on Tuesday..
