The New York Islanders shut out the Vegas Golden Knights 4-0 at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday.
Adin Hill made 17 saves for Vegas (28-10-3), which had won three in a row.
“We didn’t execute properly. It cost us goals, and when you’re chasing a game, you’re trying to make things happen,” Golden Knights defensemen Brayden McNabb said. “So, you know, they played a good game. We weren’t the sharpest we could be.”
Here are three takeaways from the game:
Sorokin Excellent in Net
Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin saved 30 shots against the Golden Knights to earn his 20th career shutout.
The Golden Knights couldn’t get going offensively against Sorokin, failing to get to the inner parts of the ice.
Some of it was due to the Islander’s structure, and part of it was just simply puck luck.
Either way, it was a rough night for the Golden Knights offense.
“It wasn’t our night. They played a solid, tight game and made it hard for us offensively,” Vegas forward Victor Olofsson said. “You’ve just got to be patient against teams like this, and I think we gave them a little bit too much and gave them a couple of goals. It’s a hard team to beat when they’re up a couple of goals and just trying to shut it down.”
No Goal for Golden Knights
The Golden Knights thought they had a goal in the first period when Tomáš Hertl scored on the power play.
New York coach Patrick Roy instantly challenged for offside, which was confirmed via video replay.
The momentum turned at that point, as Roy called it a “key moment of the game.”
McNabb said it shouldn’t have turned the game given it’s timing.
“We’ve had lots of power plays where we don’t score, so you move on, and you try and get the momentum going,” McNabb said. “That in particular doesn’t matter. It’s just like any other power play that we’ve had.”
Low-Event Hockey
Overall, the game was low-event. There were two penalties. There were only 11 high-danger shots, according to Natural Stat Trick and not a lot of memorable moments.
The sheer difference in the outcome was simple: New York converted and Vegas didn’t.
“We didn’t give up much. They were very opportunistic. Obviously, we didn’t score, so we were not opportunistic at all,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I don’t think there was a lot there, but when they had opportunities, they finished. So credit to them for checking us while not allowing us to finish because we have scored goals this year, so it’s a little surprising we couldn’t get on the board, but that happens. The shooting’s off, the goalie’s good, or the checking’s good. It happens in this League, and it happened to us tonight.”
Paul Delos Santos is the Las Vegas sports insider for Dice City Sports. Follow him on X at @PaulDelos_.
