The Vegas Golden Knights wrapped up their four-game road trip with a 3-0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings Sunday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena.
Vegas lost both games in the weekend back-to-back and finished the road trip with a 1-1-2 record.
One game after squandering a point in the final minute of regulation, the Golden Knights were held off the board entirely, delivering an underwhelming effort in a must-win game.
Ilya Samsonov was strong in the first, keeping the game scoreless through 20 minutes. But the Red Wings broke through just under eight minutes into the middle frame on an outstanding individual effort by Albert Johansson.
Detroit took a 2-0 lead after Lucas Raymond managed to make his way past Mark Stone and Zach Whitecloud into the slot, where he beat Samsonov at 4:51 of the third period.
Midway through the third, the Golden Knights had an excellent chance to cut the deficit, but Dylan Larkin prevented Jack Eichel from reaching the rebound after Stone’s shot got past Petr Mrazek and slid through the crease.
It was the second time Detroit saved a goal around the net after Noah Hanifin had a wide-open look in the first period.
But the Red Wings put things out of reach with 8:46 left in the third, as Erik Gustafsson sent a shot-pass to Marco Kasper, who tipped it past Samsonov.
Vegas didn’t bother to pull Samsonov in the waning minutes of regulation. The Red Wings continued to outplay Vegas until the end, hitting the post in the final minute before the horn sounded.
The Golden Knights entered this game in need of a bounceback performance following a brutal loss in Buffalo.
The Golden Knights did not deliver.
In fact, this was a game where one team — Detroit — looked desperate for points in its push for the playoffs, while the other — Vegas — looked overmatched and inferior.
But in the context of the road trip as a whole — which saw Vegas shut out Columbus but lose to three non-playoff teams in Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Detroit — Sunday’s execution, or lack thereof, is difficult to explain.
The Golden Knights have had a light schedule coming out of the break and are relatively healthy. Their opponents deserve some credit for competing, but the Golden Knights are not playing like a hungry contender.
Vegas didn’t generate much. One day after being held to 19 shots, the Golden Knights recorded just 18 against Detroit in the team’s fourth loss in five games.
But the more telling metric was the extreme discrepancy in high-danger chances, as Detroit led 18-4, with Vegas generating just two in the first 40 minutes. There may have been a little bit of bad puck luck, but not enough to warrant the lack of opportunities. Further, the Golden Knights were unable to finish the chances they did manage to create. Vegas’ play at 5-on-5, which has been inconsistent at various points of this season, was a glaring factor in this loss.
A road trip that seemed possible to salvage seemingly went off the rails in the last 24 hours. At the end of the day, the Golden Knights earned four points in four games on the road. It’s not the worst result, but for a team that desperately needs home-ice advantage in the playoffs, these were critical points that Vegas couldn’t afford to waste. It’s especially problematic that Vegas picked up two out of six against non-playoff clubs.
The Golden Knights now sit at 39-20-8 on the year. The Kings, who won three of four meetings against Vegas this season, are five points behind with two games in hand.
Alex Pietrangelo, who has not been the rock-solid, all-around defenseman Vegas needs him to be, left the game in the third period but did return to the bench (albeit in obvious discomfort). Considering he bowed out of the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament to nurse a lingering injury, one has to question the status of his health.
One positive takeaway from the game was Nicolas Hague’s defensive effort in the first period. Samsonov also played well enough, stopping 24 of 27 shots for an .889 save percentage and keeping it a one-goal game going into the third period.
But on the whole, it’s a game the Golden Knights need to turn the page on over the next three days as they gear up to take on the Boston Bruins Thursday at T-Mobile Arena.
