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By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — The Strip is known for its bright lights and big stars, but the NHL matchup between the two-time Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and hometown Golden Knights were missing some of their biggest names.
The Panthers did not have two star forwards — Aleksander Berkov and Matthew Tkachuk –while the VGK were missing injured Mark Stone, goalie Adin Hill and forward William Karlsson.
Playing the fifth game of a six-game homestand, the 7-3-4 Vegas squad (winners of seven of their first 14 games) has played choppy hockey this season. Sometimes, the VGK start slow in games. In other games, they have great third periods like a two-goal comeback effort against the Anaheim Ducks Saturday only to lose in overtime. The Knights have lost four overtime/shootout games so far this season.
The Golden Knights trailed, 1-0, after the first period thanks to goal by the Panthers’ Jesper Boqvist.
At 37 years old, Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is playing solid hockey, stopping the VGK’s 13 shots on goal during the first 20 minutes.
After VGK looked miserable on a 5-on-3 power play and then a 5-on-4, drawing some boos from the home crowd, 37-year-old Brad Marchand beat VGK defenseman Kaedan Korczak and scored on Knights goalie Carl Lindbom on a backhander for a Florida 2-0 lead.
Vegas looked listless after the first 40 minutes.
An issue facing VGK is lack of depth scoring from players like Reilly Smith (1 goal), Keegan Kolesar (0 goals), Colton Sissons (0 goals) and Brandon Saad (0 goals). After the VGK loss to Florida, LVSportsBiz.com asked Knights coach Bruce Cassidy how concerned was he about the lack of scoring from the VGK’s supporting cast.
“Hopefully, they will get going. We need more,” he acknowledged. “They have to stick with it.”
Tomas Hertl scored his sixth goal of the season by diving and shooting the puck past Bobrovsky to awaken a quiet T-Mobile Arena crowd after the start of the third period.
Florida 2 Vegas 1.
Vegas had a 5-on-4 power play, but VGK winger Alexander Holtz was called for a penalty while on the second team PP. Then the Panthers cashed in on the Holtz penalty by scoring a power play goal by Sam Reinhart, his eighth.
Florida 3 Vegas 1.
The Jack Eichel-Mitch Marner-Ivan Barbashev line responded for VGK with Barbashev’s seventh goal and the Knights trailed by a single goal in the third.
Vegas applied the pressure after pulling Lindbom for a sixth skater in the final minute and failed to notch the equalizer.
Final: Florida 3 Vegas 2. The Knights dropped to 7-4-4 for 18 points. VGK host the New York Islanders to wrap up the homestand. Vegas is 0-2-1 in their last three games and 1-3-1 in their last five games.
PSA