Third-period woes doom Golden Knights in loss to Toronto

By Justin Emerson

Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019 | 11:07 p.m.

In each of the last three games, the Golden Knights had a chance to win the game in the third period. They rallied from deficits in all of them and had a clean slate at some point in the last 20 minutes.

The third period has not been kind to Vegas. The Golden Knights allowed three goals in the final frame Thursday and fell 6-3 to the Toronto Maple Leafs at T-Mobile Arena, the third-straight loss and seventh defeat in their last nine games.

“We want to dig ourselves out of this,” forward Max Pacioretty said. “We’ve lost too many games and that’s not the team we are. This is not our identity.”

Pacioretty talked about finishing games and it’s something Vegas is struggling with. The Golden Knights have allowed eight third-period goals over the last three games, and before this stretch had outscored opponents 55-46 in the frame, their best goal differential of any period.

“It’s so easy to just say everything is going against us, and sometimes when that creeps into your head, you feel like you’re tired or you don’t feel as much confidence, we have to find a way to break through that barrier,” Pacioretty said. “That confidence isn't there right now. I'm not sure why, but we have to just put our heads down and work our way through it."

For 50 minutes Thursday, the Golden Knights hung with Toronto. The Maple Leafs jabbed with a first-period goal and Vegas countered with two in the second. Toronto came back with two of its own and the Golden Knights tied it again at 4:12 of the third, showing the resolve fans have come to know and love.

But at 50 minutes and 1 second, Morgan Rielly scored Toronto’s fourth of the game. Fifty-five seconds later Auston Matthews sucked the life out of T-Mobile Arena. Vegas took six penalties, one shy of the season-high. Toronto converted on two of them, including Matthews’ dagger.

Matthews was a menace for the Golden Knights, scoring two goals and assisting on another, and producing a 18-6 Corsi advantage at 5-on-5. He scored back-breaking goals, the first to give the Maple Leafs a 3-2 lead and the other to put the game away.

“You’re playing with fire when you give them six. There’s no doubt they can move the puck and they’re talented,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “They got one of the best players in the world, so it makes a difference, and he was the difference tonight.”

Now the home losing streak sits at a franchise-worst five games. Even when the Golden Knights struggled early this season, they were still steady at home. Nashville comes to town Saturday, a team that has beaten Vegas twice this year, putting the Golden Knights in danger of being swept on a home stand of at least three games for the first time.

“It’s disappointing to lose at home because we’ve had a great record here,” Gallant said. “I thought we pissed away a couple at home, but for the most part we’ve played some good teams and they beat us."