Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024 | 2 a.m.
The Vegas Golden Knights were at a disadvantage before they hit the ice against the Utah Hockey Club on Friday.
With forward Grigori Denisenko being sent down to Henderson and Mark Stone still not healthy, the Golden Knights dressed just 11 forwards.
Adding in a handful of new line combinations and Adin Hill’s sixth straight start, a lot was up in the air for the Golden Knights. Halfway through the game, Vegas was chasing a 2-0 lead and struggling to find its game. However, in the third period, it hit its stride and let its experience take over.
Three unanswered goals, including two by William Karlsson in the final minute and a half of the game, lifted the Golden Knights past the Utah Hockey Club, 4-2, in a game that tested their resiliency.
“We don’t like to give up in here, and then when you have a good goalie, too, that helps a lot,” Karlsson said.
Since getting pulled in the second period of Monday’s loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, Hill has stood his ground in net. He made 32 saves on 34 shots, which included five penalty kills. While Karlsson and Tomas Hertl, who had two power-play goals, had big games, a lot of credit went to hill for staying the course for all 60 minutes.
“That’s hockey. We’ve given him (Hill) run support this year, and we needed some big saves time. We got them,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “That’s how you win hockey games in this league. You’re never going to be at your best every night…The goalie has to give us a chance to get our game going, and he certainly did that.”
The Golden Knights credit their veteran identity for enabling them to stay the course despite so much change, but defenseman Kaeden Korczak was also praised for stepping into a role he has little experience in. Skating as a forward on the fourth line, he was +1 and recorded an assist.
“It’s a lot different going up there,” Korczak said on playing in a different position. “It’s kind of a mind bog a little bit, but the best advice I was given was to just keep it simple.”
It’s unknown how long some of these combinations will stick. When the Golden Knights host the Washington Capitals on Sunday, it’s likely they will call up another forward from Henderson to fill the 12th vacancy. Stone is still “day-to-day” with his lower-body injury.
None of the new line combinations scored. The Golden Knights had one even-strength goal, scored by Karlsson on the third line and assisted by Cole Schwindt and Korczak on the fourth line.
Vegas also struggled to stay out of the penalty box, combining for 23 minutes in penalties to Utah’s 11. Nicholas Roy went to the box three separate times, including a five-minute major for fighting in the third period.
However, despite all the negatives, the positive was that the Golden Knights were able to navigate through all of it for a victory.
“You realize, ‘Hey, our goaltender is kicking in there. We’re only one down. Let’s go get this thing,’ and I think that’s the sign of a veteran group,” Cassidy said.