Theodore returns, Knights' win streak reaches three

LAS VEGAS — The way the first five minutes went Saturday at T-Mobile Arena, I had to check to see if there was a full moon out as things were somewhat weird.

You had a goal in the first minute off a strange carom, a check along the boards that resulted in a player being helped off the ice followed by a fight involving the player who threw the check.

Then there was a temporary lack of lights as the start of the third period was delayed.
 
But eventually, things settled down and the Vegas Golden Knights did what they’ve been doing lately, rallying from a first-period deficit to post a win. This time, they spotted the St. Louis Blues a 1-0 lead 53 seconds in as an innocent dump-in careened off the back boards onto the stick of Robert Thomas who shot the puck past an unsuspecting Akira Schmid.

Vegas would shake off the goal and respond with three unanswered, one from Mitch Marner, then from Jack Eichel and a third from Shea Theodore, who returned to the lineup after missing 11 games with an upper-body injury.

The Knights’ 4-2 win, their third straight, gives them momentum as they head up to San Jose for the second of a weekend back-to-back against the Sharks at SAP Center. But it came with a little drama against the Blues, who were playing their second in as many nights on the road after falling to Utah 4-2 Friday at the Delta Center.

Eichel said: “It’s a win. I thought we played well. Whenever you can get (two) points you try and build off of it.”

Mark Stone, who last got into a fight five years ago when he squared off with his now teammate Tomas Hertl, found himself dropping the gloves and going with Brayden Schenn after Stone had taken out Philip Broberg along the boards and had to leave the game. The Blues thought the hit was dirty and sought retribution for the play, which did not result in a penalty.

It meant Stone had five minutes less to extend his goal scoring streak which was at six games, one shy of tying Max Pacioretty’s team record of seven. But he hit an empty net with 2:24 remaining and give the Knights some breathing room. He’ll try and break the record Sunday against the Sharks.

More important, the return of Theodore was impactful. Not only did he score, he brought some stability and experience back to the blue line. And that’s crucial as the Knights need to play well in front of Schmid, who was in the Vegas net as Carter Hart is out with a lower-body injury after injuring his left leg Thursday against Columbus. He is week-to-week according to Cassidy which probably means we’re not going to see him for a while.

“It felt good,” said Theodore. “Sometimes the timing of it its longer than you want but it felt good. It was nice to score.”

Still, there were a few anxious moments in the third period. Jake Neighbours’ power-play goal early in the third period cut the deficit to 3-2 and moments later Justin Faulk rang one off the crossbar which would have tied it.  

But Stone’s empty-netter dashed any hopes of a comeback and the Knights are making things happen even though they remain without defenseman Brayden McNabb, center William Karlsson, goaltenders Adin Hill and now, Hart.

“They’re huge,” Eichel said of being able to get the two points despite the holes in the lineup. “We’re finding ways to do that. It was great to get Shea back tonight. We got some contributions from some different guys and we found a way to win.”

“Resiliency. I think it’s that part of the season to start playing to your identity,” Theodore said of how the team is managing to piece together enough good stretches to win games. “It was a tough first goal against but we bounced back.”

Cassidy’s recent moves, perhaps headlined by moving Marner from wing to center, appears to be paying dividends. Marner had an assist on Theodore’s goal to go with his own tally and he now has 46 points (10 goals and 36 assists) in 43 games for Vegas.

“What Mitch is doing better is talking to the D, getting their line of sight to where he wants the puck and it’s working out for us and we’re going to keep building on it,” Cassidy said of Marner, who appears comfortable having Reilly Smith and Pavel Dorofeyev on his flanks. “It should only get better with their chemistry and their reads of each other and help them when it comes to extending the next play.”

Overall, Cassidy sees a team that has adjusted and is comfortable within in its own skin, regardless of who is suiting up on a given night.

“We’re getting used to it,” Cassidy said of playing catch-up. “Maybe home ice disadvantage? We got going quicker (Saturday). We’re stacking some wins, which is good. We did that earlier in the year. We’ve chased it the right way. It wasn’t like we traded chances to get back in the game.”