Takeaways From Golden Knights’ 3-1 Game 2 Loss to the Ducks

After perhaps stealing a win in Game 1, the Vegas Golden Knights could not do the same on Wednesday night, losing 3-1 in Game 2 to the Anaheim Ducks at T-Mobile Arena. Mark Stone put the Golden Knights on the board with a power-play goal in the dying seconds, while Carter Hart made 26 saves on 27 shots.

Beckett Sennecke, Leo Carlsson, and Jansen Harkins scored for the Ducks, and Lukas Dostal made 21 saves on 22 shots.

Game 3 is on Friday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Penalty Kill Perfect Once Again

The league’s best penalty kill in the postseason was at it again on Wednesday night, shutting down Anaheim’s power play all night, including eight minutes’ worth in the first 10 minutes of the opening period.

Thomas Hertl and Mitch Marner started the penalty box parade with infractions at 3:14 and 5:10, and Jack Eichel put the Ducks on a lengthy 5-on-3 power play with a high-sticking double minor at 5:33.

Whatever magic the Ducks had against the Oilers with the man advantage has all but evaporated against the Golden Knights. In those eight minutes, including the 5-on-3, the Ducks managed only five shots on net, and despite possessing the puck for large stretches, never really felt dangerous.

“The pressure is good (against us),” Carlsson said of the Golden Knights’ penalty kill. “Long sticks, big bodies. It’s something we have to look at the tapes on and figure it out.”

The Golden Knights are now 9-for-9 on the kill this series and are at 96% for the playoffs. While those are great numbers, Vegas needs to find a way to stay out of the penalty box. The Golden Knights have been one of the least penalized teams in the NHL over the last few seasons, and it has been instrumental in their success, both in the regular season and in the playoffs.

It hasn’t come back to bite them yet, but it feels like a matter of time before it does.

Power Play Needs to Pull Its Weight

On the other side of the special teams coin is the power play, and it hasn’t been particularly pretty. The Golden Knights entered this series fourth in the NHL with the man advantage (20%), and while that number has only dipped to 19.2%, they are just 1-for-6 against the Ducks, with the one goal scored with just six seconds left in the third period on Wednesday.

It’s true that Vegas owned the sixth-best power-play unit during the regular season, finishing at 24.6%, but they tend to rely more on their 5-on-5 play than their special teams. Regardless, on a night like Wednesday, when there’s a player in the box for almost half the game, you have to find a way to capitalize when your opportunities arise.

Sure, the last power play was at the end of the game, but the Golden Knights had an opportunity right after Eichel’s penalty was killed, another to start the second period, and another shortly after the middle of the third period in a 2-0 game. All of those opportunities were at an ideal time to gain some momentum back, and they just couldn’t do it.

Vegas Searching For Their Game

You could make the argument that the Utah Mammoth were the better team for large stretches of Round 1, and you’d get no argument from me. Ultimately, the Golden Knights took advantage of their opportunities and the lack of experience from the Mammoth and put the nail in the coffin with their best game of the series in Game 6.

Now, they have yet to find their game against the Ducks and, quite frankly, are lucky to be tied 1-1 going to California.

“There were some really good minutes. Some minutes that we’re just not there,” head coach John Tortorella said after Game 2. “I have full trust we’re going to find our way and try to play our best game. That certainly hasn’t happened yet in the series, but we’ll find our way and get there.”

It’s not doom and gloom by any means. The Golden Knights, despite whatever issues have hindered them through two games, have been right there with the ability to win. Even after being in the penalty box for the first half of the first period last night, the game was still there for the taking. The issue is, the Golden Knights are too skilled and experienced to be “right there.” They should be setting the tone for the series, and they have yet to establish that.

“We’re two games removed from probably the best game we’ve played,” Stone said. “It hasn’t been our best the last two, but the good news is we can improve. It’s not like we’ve played our best hockey. We’re 1-1, so we have to figure it out.”