Ellen Schmidt/AP
Los Angeles Kings defenseman Matt Roy (3) passes the puck, while Vegas Golden Knights center Paul Cotter (43) falls during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023, in Las Vegas.
Published Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023 | 9:33 p.m.
Updated Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023 | 10:37 p.m.
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With seven minutes remaining in the game, the Golden Knights had just 16 shots on goal. Nine of them came in the first period.
That’s how strong the Los Angeles Kings’ defense was in keeping Vegas off the board for 58 of 60 minutes in a 5-1 loss to the Kings at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday.
"I think we just played a little too much into their hands," captain Mark Stone said. "We didn't get much of a forecheck, put the puck in some bad places."
Kevin Fiala had a hat trick for the Kings, and Logan Thompson was pulled after two periods after giving up three goals on 19 shots. Jonathan Marchessault scored in his return to the lineup.
One game after forwards Jack Eichel and Paul Cotter returned to the Vegas lineup after lengthy absences, more reinforcements arrived in defenseman Alec Martinez (four games, lower body) and Marchessault (six games, lower body).
Saturday’s lineup was the healthiest the Golden Knights (27-13-2) have rolled out in about a month. In a division game against the team closest on their tail in the standings, this had the makings for the Golden Knights to show up for a complete game.
That seemed to be the case through 20 minutes.
Vegas didn’t get on the board but hit the post twice — once by William Karlsson on the power play, and Marchessault the other time off a pass from Eichel — and played well.
The only mishap was Fiala scoring at 17:02 of the first to give the Kings a 1-0 lead. Fiala fired a shot from near the blue line to beat Thompson, who was screened by three players and never saw the puck.
Maybe the game changes if one of those two goes in, or if Reilly Smith doesn't hit the side of the net when the Golden Knights had a 2-on-0 off a turnover. One goal, as coach Bruce Cassidy said, could've opened things up offensively for Vegas.
"That was the good. There wasn't that much good, but we created three pretty good looks," Cassidy said.
Instead of building on the strong play through the first 20 minutes, the Kings adjusted defensively and shut forced the Golden Knights to the outside from the neutral zone. The Golden Knights did not have a high-danger chance at 5-on-5 through the first two periods thanks to the 1-3-1 setup that clogged the neutral zone.
Opening the neutral zone and taking away center ice were two elements that propelled the Golden Knights during their four-game home winning streak. The scoring touch returned in a span of Vegas scoring at least five goals in each of those wins.
Once the Kings took away the Golden Knights’ north-south game, they never got comfortable in the limited times they got set up in the offensive zone. The 20 shots tied a season-low when Vegas put 20 on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 8. The biggest difference was the Golden Knights scored four times and won that game.
"[The Kings] do what they always do. If they're not able to get pressure on you, they pull back and they get in their 1-3-1," Cassidy said. "This was nothing new to us. We talked about it. We've seen it."
The Kings turned that strong defense into offense. Matt Roy scored a shorthanded goal midway through the second period, then Fiala scored his second at 16:26 to push the Los Angeles lead to 3-0 before Thompson was pulled after 40 minutes.
Cassidy said there was no definite reason he pulled Thompson for Adin Hill.
"To a man, we weren't very good," Cassidy said. "Adin goes in, gets a little bit of work."
Viktor Arvidsson scored at 5:45 of the third to make it 4-0, and Fiala added his third of the game with an empty-net goal at 18:33 of the third.
If the Golden Knights were going to have a clunker, this seemed like the time to do it with their sixth game in two weeks. That might not seem like a daunting number, but they've played the second-most games in the league, trailing only their Interstate 15 rivals they lost to tonight.
Vegas will have to sit on this one for the next four days before hosting the Florida Panthers on Thursday. Integrating Marchessault and Martinez back to a regular practice routine should help in ironing out what Cassidy called "probably the most disappointing game of the year for us."
"I still like the way we're playing. This was just one of our not-so-great performances this season," Stone said, "but you're going to have those. You just can't let them repeat themselves. Good teams, they have one stinker and then they get back on the saddle."
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
