Vancouver Canucks left wing Tanner Pearson (70) celebrates after scoring past Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner (90) during the second period of an NHL hockey game at T-Mobile Arena Wednesday, April 6, 2022.
Published Wednesday, April 6, 2022 | 9:27 p.m.
Updated Wednesday, April 6, 2022 | 10:53 p.m.
It’s fair to say the Golden Knights were due one more off night before reeling off these last 10 games of the regular season, but to play through a 5-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday came at the worst possible time.
The team's playoff chances took a gigantic hit.
“We didn’t do anything well tonight,” coach Pete DeBoer said.
Vegas (39-29-4) hasn’t gotten much help in gaining ground through the Western Conference playoff race. With the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars winning their respective games Tuesday, the Golden Knights needed a second straight win over Vancouver — after winning 3-2 in overtime Sunday — to leapfrog again in points.
Instead, in what was supposed to be a desperate night for the Golden Knights turned into one of their worst all-around performances this season, especially in their own zone. Jack Eichel opened the scoring 12 minutes into the game.
Everything went downhill from there.
Bo Horvat scored a power-play goal four minutes later, converting on a rebound while getting behind the Vegas penalty kill. Seventeen seconds later, Brad Richardson gave Vancouver the 2-1 lead after Conor Garland forced a turnover from Alec Martinez.
“We didn’t have a good enough first 20 and they were more desperate. That was the difference,” Eichel said, “and the first 20 carried into the next 40.”
Defensive breakdowns allowed the Canucks to get dangerous chances in front with Canucks center Elias Pettersson leading the way. Pettersson, who finished with two goals and two assists, drew three sets of Golden Knights eyes his direction and threaded a backhand pass to Tanner Pearson alone in front to push the lead to 3-1.
Pettersson was on the receiving end less than five minutes later when he spun around Eichel from behind the net and was alone in front for an easy tap-in and a three-goal lead. He capped his night off 1:11 into the third on a power play after Martinez’s clearing attempt was intercepted by the Vegas net.
“It was just a matter of time the way we were playing,” DeBoer said. “We just weren’t very good. In this league, most nights you get what you deserve.”
This was the first time Vegas lost to Vancouver in regulation. The Golden Knights were 10-0-2 all-time against the Canucks entering Wednesday.
The score was not a strong indicator to fault Robin Lehner, who made 26 saves in his second consecutive start since returning from a lower-body injury. Lehner allowed four goals with no defensive help in front of him. The Canucks were kept to the outside during the majority of Sunday’s matchup in Rogers Arena, but that wasn’t the case Wednesday.
The goals from Richardson and Pettersson’s second described Vegas’ night in a nutshell. Vancouver’s forecheck was more aggressive and forced nine turnovers. The two from Martinez, especially the second one, behind Vegas’ net showed how difficult it was for the Golden Knights to exit or enter their zone.
The Golden Knights won the initial faceoff on the penalty kill a minute into the third. Martinez gathered the puck while everyone stood at the left circle, anticipating Martinez to clear it. The defenseman took too long and his clearing attempt was deflected by Pettersson. That led to a 2-on-0 in front of Lehner for the goal.
“They were really good. We were awful. I can’t put this any other way,” DeBoer said. “We were awful in net-front, we were awful on breakouts, we were awful everywhere. I can’t tell you there was one thing. We were no good.”
A missed opportunity has put the Golden Knights back on scoreboard watch. The four most important teams in this chase – Nashville, Dallas, Los Angeles and Edmonton – all play Thursday, with the Kings and Oilers playing each other.
Vegas doesn’t play again until the Arizona Coyotes visit Saturday, followed by another trip to Vancouver next Tuesday. The Golden Knights aren’t going to win all of their final 10 games, but every loss makes the next more important.
“We understand the situation we’re in. We need to be desperate,” Eichel said. “We weren’t good enough by any means. With that being said, the season’s not over. We still have hockey to be played here.
“We just won five in a row. We didn’t play well tonight, we understand that. We’ve got another opportunity Saturday. If we find our game, I like us against anybody.”
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
