The Golden Knights clawed back from a three-goal deficit with two shorthanded goals in 25 seconds, but still fell 5-4 to the Capitals in a shootout Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.
Washington opened the scoring in the first on Hendrix Lapierre’s goal, then built a 3-0 lead in the second behind tallies from Justin Sourdif and Anthony Beauvillier. Vegas answered in a hurry from there.
Nic Dowd started the push with a shorthanded goal at 10:38 of the second. Then, still killing the same penalty, Rasmus Andersson finished another chance 25 seconds later off a Jack Eichel feed to tie it 3-3.
Eichel capped the surge at 13:18, converting off Andersson to give Vegas its first lead of the night.
Mitch Marner added a power-play goal just 31 seconds into the third to make it 4-3. However, the lead did not last. Dylan Strome scored on the power play at 8:54 of the third, then added the lone goal in the shootout to seal it for Washington.
The kill changed everything
For a stretch in the second period, the game tilted hard toward Washington. The Capitals struck on the power play and then at even strength to build a 3-0 cushion, while piling up chances with six power plays on the night.
Vegas flipped that momentum on one penalty kill.
Dowd’s shorthanded goal broke the run. Andersson’s finish moments later tied the game. In less than half a minute, the Knights erased the deficit and reset the night.
Vegas followed with Eichel’s go-ahead goal and then Marner’s early-third strike. The Golden Knights finished with 29 shots and generated offense at five-on-five and on special teams.
Still, Washington made its power plays count, going 2-for-6. Vegas went 1-for-4 with the extra man, and that gap proved decisive.
Chances there, finish missing
The Knights did enough offensively to feel this one slip away.
Eichel finished with a goal and two assists. Andersson added a goal and an assist, while Dowd and Marner also scored. Vegas also produced two shorthanded goals, a rare swing in its favor.
However, the game turned again in the third. A four-minute power play for Vegas did not extend the lead, and later penalties gave Washington its chance to tie.
Vegas had one look in overtime, but Logan Thompson turned it aside. In the shootout, Andersson, Eichel and Pavel Dorofeyev were all denied before Strome ended it.
Adin Hill made 17 saves through regulation and overtime.
Standings tighten
The loss still leaves Vegas in a crowded Pacific Division race. The Golden Knights sit at 80 points through 74 games, trailing Edmonton and Anaheim while holding a shrinking cushion over Los Angeles and Seattle.
However, the recent slide matters. Vegas has dropped three straight and is just 3-5-2 in its last 10, which has allowed the gap to tighten quickly.
As a result, games like Saturday carry extra weight. The Knights earned a point, but with the standings this close, giving one away at home could loom large down the stretch.
Up next
Vegas continues its homestand Monday against Vancouver at T-Mobile Arena.
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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.
