Panic might be too strong of an emotion when things aren’t going well in late November.
Urgency better suits what the Golden Knights need more of at the moment.
Trying to find the balance between the two is tough when the Knights think they’ve played well enough this month but struggled to find wins. That feeling circled back Friday in a 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens at T-Mobile Arena.
The Knights (10-6-8) lost their fourth straight and 12th in 17 games (5-6-6) since starting the season 5-0-2.
“I don’t think anyone wants to panic,” center Jack Eichel said. “I don’t think that’s the recipe ever. Urgency is a big part of it and knowing where you are in the game.”
Where the Knights have been in the past 17 games has been chasing a majority of them.
They’ve shown the capability to fight back. Coach Bruce Cassidy went as recently as last weekend against Utah and Anaheim as examples.
The Knights are looking at it as earning points in 11 of the past 17 games and having a chance to win a majority of them.
“There’s been some close games that could’ve went either way,” Cassidy said. “I don’t look at it as a bad three weeks.”
Captain Mark Stone scored with 4:44 remaining to end Montreal goaltender Sam Montembeault’s bid at a shutout. Montembeault finished with 30 saves and earned his first win since Nov. 8.
Knights goaltender Akira Schmid made 15 saves and lost in regulation for just the second time as a member of the Knights.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
1. Falling behind again
Blame the tryptophan in the turkey if you want.
The Knights have harped on the good pockets of hockey they’ve had during this rut. They had some in the first period.
Montreal didn’t clear the puck once on the Knights’ first power play. They moved it for 1:53 straight before a whistle.
The Knights got seven shots on the man advantage. Montembeault saved all of them.
“There were some good things on the power play. You just don’t score,” Eichel said. “I don’t think that they necessarily stopped us. You just don’t find the back of the net.”
The Knights had a 10-2 edge in shots by the time the power play ended. Montreal’s third shot opened the scoring when right wing Zack Bolduc scored off a cross-ice pass from left wing Juraj Slafkovsky at 14:30.
Right wing Cole Caufield made the score 2-0 at 2:04 of the second on a sharp angle shot that zipped over Schmid’s shoulder.
The Knights had a 22-11 edge in shots through two periods. They had a 62-36 edge in shot attempts at five-on-five for the game. They just couldn’t find the back of the net.
“It’s tough going down, chasing games all the time,” center Colton Sissons said. “We’re playing pretty good hockey, but no matter who you’re up against, going down one, two, three goals, it makes life very hard.”
2. Puck management problems again
The Knights continue to lose the giveaway battle.
They lost that metric for the 12th straight game, this time 17-11. Montreal also was credited with nine takeaways to the Knights’ two.
Left wing Mitch Marner and defenseman Noah Hanifin had a team-high three each. Four other players had two.
Cassidy has harped on puck management being an issue. It went on the back burner with the Knights falling behind, but it remains a problem.
3. Quick turnaround
The game was the first of a back to back for the Knights, who will host the San Jose Sharks on Saturday to wrap up a stretch of three home games in four days.
San Jose (12-10-3) defeated the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Friday after a 32-save effort from goaltender Yaroslav Askarov.
Alex Nedeljkovic will likely start for the Sharks. His last time facing the Knights was a memorable one, when his gaffes in the third period and overtime led to a 4-3 Knights win.
“The good news is we play in a little over 24 hours,” Eichel said. “A chance to be better tomorrow night.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
Up next
Who: Sharks at Golden Knights
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: T-Mobile Arena
TV: KMCC-34
Radio: KKGK (1340 AM/98.9 FM)
Line: Knights -345; total: 6