Game 3: Golden Knights must avoid penalty box in San Jose

By Jesse Granger

Monday, April 30, 2018 | 2 a.m.

Fresh off a gut-wrenching double overtime loss, the Golden Knights have to quickly turn their attention to the next game of their second-round series against the Sharks.

That’s easier said than done, of course.

San Jose evened the series 1-1 Saturday when Logan Couture scored the game-winning goal in the second overtime. It came after Golden Knights’ forward Jonathan Marchessault’s would-be game winning goal was erased due to a controversial goaltender interference call in the first overtime period.

“It’s one of those things you lay in bed last night and have a weird feeling,” Vegas’ Erik Haula said on Sunday. “I felt bad for Marchessault because I know the high you get when you score one because I got one in the first series. I gave him a pat on the back but I’m sure that’s going to give him good fortune in the series.”

The key for the Golden Knights moving forward — starting with game three at 7 tonight in San Jose — is to keep the game at 5-on-5.

Vegas racked up 22 penalty minutes in the loss — the most in franchise’s brief history and nine more than the team’s second-most penalized game.

“We can’t take those kind of penalties,” defenseman Shea Theodore said. “Obviously when you’re in the box for a good portion of the night it’s not going to go well, and it kind of bit us in the ass.”

Through two games the Golden Knights have created 54 scoring chances at even strength compared to only 47 by the Sharks. But when San Jose has had a man advantage they’ve out-chanced Vegas a combined 22-0.

Vegas has only allowed one goal during 5-on-5 play during the entire postseason, and none to San Jose. The Sharks scored twice on the power play Saturday night, and twice during 4-on-4 play but have yet to beat Marc-Andre Fleury when both teams are at full strength.

“They took us off our game by us letting ourselves get into those scrums and making it 4-on-4,” Haula said. “That’s not us and we need to stay away from that. I think 5-on-5 we are a really good team, we roll four lines and we’re balanced.”

Marchessault, David Perron and James Neal were all involved in post-whistle altercations that resulted in matching minors for both teams and two minutes of 4-on-4 play. Two of the three times it resulted in goals for the Sharks.

With 17 total penalties called, the Golden Knights spent only 2:18 on the power play while San Jose enjoyed 8:39 with a man advantage and scored two power play goals.

“When you’re in the box for that much in the game you’re bound to let a few goals in,” William Karlsson said. “They have a really good power play so if we can stay out of the box as much as possible it will help us win the game.”

In 5-on-5 play the Golden Knights have outscored opponents 12-1 this postseason. During the regular season Vegas ranked third in the entire NHL with 207 goals at even strength.

One of the Golden Knights’ biggest strengths this season has been their depth, and coach Gerard Gallant’s willingness to play all four lines. When 21:13 (24.7 percent) of the game is spent with players in the penalty box it largely negates that advantage.

“The flow wasn’t really there,” Theodore said. “We were taking a lot of penalties and had a lot of guys sitting for lengthy periods of time. The flow was ruined and that’s something that we have to really crack down on for game three.”

Even with the game going to double overtime, a fourth line forward like William Carrier still only amassed 8:27 of ice time. The Golden Knights know they can’t afford a repeat performance tonight in San Jose.

“It’s forgotten about,” Haula said. “It stings a little bit but overall our confidence hasn’t gone anywhere. We know 5-on-5 we are a good team.”

Jesse Granger can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Jesse on Twitter at twitter.com/JesseGranger_.