FSM Essential Recap: Golden Knights vs Islanders - Game 31

FSM Essential Recap: Golden Knights vs Islanders – Game 31

Franchise Sports Media

Golden Knights (20-11)  |  New York Islanders (8-12-6)

The Vegas Golden Knights won their second-straight shootout game against a New York team Sunday as they beat the New York Islanders 4-3.

Shea Theodore had two (and a half) goals as he scored two goals in regulation and then one in the shootout. Robin Lehner returned to Long Island for the first time since leaving the organization in 2019. The 30-year old goaltender has often thanked the Islander’s fanbase for their support in his battle with mental health. Lehner was honored with a video tribute during the first TV timeout of the first period.

Mark Stone was unavailable for the Golden Knights as he was listed out with an upper-body injury. As a result, Michael Amadio drew back in the lineup, and Evgenii Dadonov played on the first line. For the Islanders, Robin Salo and Matt Martin were out due to COVID-19 protocols and joined Mat Barzal.

The Golden Knights’ best line of the night was easily the Misfit line of Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith, and William Karlson. The trio was frequently on the attack and forecheck for the Golden Knights. Their hard work led to the game’s first goal.

After Karlsson gained the puck for the Golden Knights on a hard forecheck, he passed it over to Zach Whitecloud. Whitecloud fired a shot which gave a juicy rebound to Marchessault. Marchessault then made no mistake and buried home his team-leading 14th goal of the season.

The second line was also partially responsible for the Islander’s tying goal as Smith took a high-sticking call on Oliver Wahlstrom. The Islanders got a lucky bounce on the powerplay with Brock Nelson’s pass hitting a skate. The puck went off the skate of Brayden McNabb, and the Islanders scored to tie things at one apiece.

The Islanders were the better team to start out the second period.

Early in the frame, the Islanders had a lot of sustained pressure in the Golden Knights zone. Alex Pietrangelo and Zach Whitecloud were trapped in their zone for a three-minute shift. Whitecloud made a great stick-check on a pass intended for Nelson in the dying seconds of the frame. Whitecloud likely saved a goal as Nelson was in excellent shooting range, and the Islanders had Lehner moving from right to left.

The Golden Knights’ powerplay has been entirely different from in the early parts of the season. In the third period, the Golden Knights continued their recent surge on a powerplay. After Dadonov hit the crossbar, Theodore scored off a one-timer slap-shot from the middle point. Nicolas Roy provided a great screen, and the Golden Knights took the lead 2-1.

This powerplay goal from Theodore was his first in 102 games. The Golden Knights have five powerplay goals in their last six. In the third, the Golden Knights had to kill two straight penalties of their own. William Carrier took an offensive zone penalty, and for the second straight night, the Golden Knights bench took a too many men penalty. The Golden Knights killed off both penalties.

The Golden Knights will return home to T-Mobile Arena to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday for a 7:00 pm game. The game can be seen on AT&T SportsNet.