Vegas did a lot right Tuesday in Dallas. It still ended in another loss.
The Golden Knights carried long stretches at five-on-five, got a strong night from Adin Hill, and outshot the Stars 27-16. However, they could not turn that edge into enough finish, and a two-goal second period sent them to a 2-1 loss at American Airlines Center.
Jack Eichel scored the Vegas goal. Still, the Knights dropped to 29-22-14, fell into a second-place tie with Edmonton at 72 points, and slipped to 1-5 in March.
Good start, bad swing
Vegas looked sharper early and stayed with Dallas through a scoreless first period.
Then the Knights broke through first in the second. Eichel scored at 1:31 off feeds from Shea Theodore and Ivan Barbashev, finishing a sequence that gave Vegas the lead and some control.
That lasted only so long.
Dallas tied it at 10:41 when Oskar Bäck got to a rebound chance in front after Colin Blackwell’s look created trouble around the crease. Bruce Cassidy said that was one area the Knights had flagged going in and did not handle well enough.
“They don’t quit. They go to the net, they finish at the net, and they got the rebound,” Cassidy said. “That’s something we had pointed out.”
Later in the period, the Stars took the lead for good on the power play. Jamie Benn scored at 14:16 from the top of the crease after Wyatt Johnston and Matt Duchene worked the puck into the danger area.
That was the difference in a game that otherwise stayed tight.
Shots without enough damage
Vegas finished with 27 shots and pushed the play for long stretches, especially in the second.
The issue was what happened after the first save.
Cassidy liked parts of the overall effort, especially five-on-five and on the penalty kill, but said the Knights did not create enough second chances or enough traffic where it mattered most.
“Not enough offensive execution at the end of the day,” Cassidy said.
That theme showed up again late. Vegas had looks with the extra attacker, but too often searched for one more pass instead of putting pucks into the crease and fighting for a rebound.
“We’re trying to make the pretty plays first instead of getting it to the net,” Cassidy said. “We’re getting away from that.”
Jake Oettinger finished with 26 saves for Dallas. Hill stopped 14 of 16 for Vegas and gave the Knights a chance all night.
PK holds, power play stalls
The penalty kill was one of the cleanest parts of the night for Vegas.
The Knights killed four of five Dallas power plays and survived nearly nine minutes short-handed. That kept the game within reach even after the Stars grabbed the lead.
Cassidy called the PK “excellent.”
On the other side, Vegas went 0-for-3 on the power play and never found enough rhythm against Dallas’ pressure up high. The Knights got zone time, but not enough recoveries and not enough action off the low-to-high game.
That lack of net-front chaos kept the Stars from breaking down.
Jeremy Lauzon said the team game has improved even if the results have not followed yet.
“I feel our game is better,” Lauzon said. “We had a lot of chances. We just need to bear down on some of those chances.”
Shea Theodore pointed to the same issue around both nets.
“I think just in front of the nets,” Theodore said. “Little bounces like that just aren’t going our way.”
Stats that mattered
Vegas outshot Dallas 27-16, including a 14-9 edge in the second period, but scored only once. The Knights went 0-for-3 on the power play, while Dallas went 1-for-5. Hill stopped 14 of 16 shots, and Oettinger made 26 saves. Eichel had the lone Vegas goal, his 23rd of the season. Barbashev and Theodore picked up the assists.
Up next
Vegas opens a four-game homestand Thursday against Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. PT. The Knights then host Buffalo on Saturday, St. Louis on Monday, and Boston on Wednesday before heading back to Dallas on March 22.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
