Darryl Dyck / Canadian Press
Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko, left, stops Vegas Golden Knights’ Keegan Kolesar during the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, April 12, 2022, in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Published Tuesday, April 12, 2022 | 9:45 p.m.
Updated Tuesday, April 12, 2022 | 10:52 p.m.
Shea Theodore did his part. He did enough to get the Golden Knights at least one point in Vancouver.
The fact that it took two Theodore goals in the third period to force overtime will haunt Vegas, missing an opportunity to pick up two points in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Canucks at Rogers Arena on Tuesday.
Theodore, who scored the game-winning overtime goal nine days ago in Vancouver, erased a two-goal deficit in the final frame. His one-timer from the right circle with 41.4 seconds left beat Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko short side to force the extra five minutes.
“Obviously proud of the way the guys battled back,” defenseman Alec Martinez said. “Getting points this time of year is big, but we’re shooting for two, not one.”
It took just 51 seconds to end it when Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes – getting away with an uncalled cross-check on Jack Eichel – put back a rebound with the backhand for the win.
“We’ll take the point,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “We’re going to have to be better than that down the stretch in order to get to where we want to go.”
Vegas (40-29-5) leaving Vancouver with one point doesn't leave them a lost cause in the standings. The Los Angeles Kings and Dallas Stars both won Tuesday, putting a three-point cushion on the Golden Knights for third place in the Pacific Division and the second wild card in the Western Conference, respectively.
The Golden Knights were in need of a better response than their last meeting against Vancouver, losing 5-1 at T-Mobile Arena, arguably their worst defensive performance of the season.
This time, reinforcements arrived in the form of captain Mark Stone making his return after a 26-game absence due to a back injury.
The Canucks, however, got on the board before Stone even set foot on the ice. Vancouver captain Bo Horvat scored on the power play 1:04 in for the game’s opening goal.
Stone was activated from long-term injured reserve and played just over 17 minutes in his first game since Feb. 8. Vegas placed Laurent Brossoit, William Carrier and Nolan Patrick on LTIR prior to the game to clear the way for Stone's return.
“It’s do or die for us,” Stone said. “It’s the first time we’ve controlled our destiny in a while. We got a little help in the standings today, but we’ve got to worry about ourselves and win these games.”
Martinez tied it with his first goal of the season in the first period.
Horvat’s goal set the tone for Vancouver, however. Vancouver re-took the lead 1:27 into the second on its second power-play goal from Vasily Podkolzin.
Elias Pettersson, who scored twice in the last meeting in Las Vegas, scored just under two minutes later to make it 3-1.
That third goal summed up Robin Lehner’s night. He initially stopped Pettersson’s shot from the high slot but couldn’t locate the puck afterward. Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud inadvertently kicked the loose puck past Lehner, and it trickled past the goal line before Lehner could swipe it away.
Lehner made 22 saves and did not look comfortable for the first 40 minutes.
Despite the shaky start, Lehner made two crucial saves in the final few minutes – stopping Juho Lammikko and Pettersson – to give the Golden Knights the opportunity to tie it.
It’s easy to point the finger at Lehner for allowing five goals in a must-win game, but both ends of the Golden Knights' special teams hurt them just as much, if not more.
There were the two power-play goals from Vancouver, but Vegas’ power play went 0-for-3 and has now failed to convert in its past 18 attempts on the man advantage. Only one shot reached Demko on goal: a 29-foot wrist shot from Max Pacioretty.
The return of Stone on Tuesday and Pacioretty last Saturday could help the power play down the stretch, but struggling against the third-worst penalty kill in the league (74.2%) is not a desirable sign.
Calgary, whom Vegas will see Thursday, has the fifth-best penalty kill at 83.9%.
“You can’t lose the special teams battle 2-0 and expect to win any game,” DeBoer said. “That’s probably the first place we’ve got to clean up.”
Yet, on the first night the trio of Eichel, Pacioretty and Stone played together, the majority of the offense came from the blue line.
The Golden Knights realistically need at least three points in their next two games to keep their playoff hopes above ground. They will face the first-place Flames for the final time this season, followed by Edmonton on Saturday.
“It’s good to get a point. Obviously we would’ve liked two,” Stone said. “Forget about it, move on. Two big games coming up on this trip. We’ve got to find a way to win them.”
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
