There might be nothing more agonizing than a well-played game that has to be decided by a glorified skills competition.
The Vegas Golden Knights have lost some extra points by not finishing those chances that follow overtime. Which is surprising because of their skill players.
But it’s not something that can be practiced. They’re not facing the other goalie during practice.
There’s no exact science to the shootout. It’s one-on-one with the goalie following 65 minutes of game play that can’t decide a winner.
“There’s only so much you can do,” said captain Mark Stone, a career 4-for-14 in shootouts. “You just have to go out there and do your best stuff and hope it sticks.”
The Knights played their 20th overtime game of the season Tuesday in a 3-2 loss in Montreal. It was their 13th loss in extra time, tied with the Los Angeles Kings for the most in the NHL.
Six of those games have required the shootout. The Knights are 1-5.
The NHL removed ties from the points system following the 2005 lockout because the league felt games needed to have a definitive winner and loser.
Continuous overtimes until a winner was crowned was a health-and-safety issue. The length of the games also plays a factor if overtimes go deep into the night.
The Knights have elite one-on-one skill on the roster. The frustration stemming from their overtime performance has slightly subsided after winning three of their past four.
There’s still extra points being left on the table. Five of them have been lost because of one-on-one battles with a goaltender.
“I’m the coach, and I’m supposed to have answers in the shootout,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I would like to think our guys can score a little more because we do have talent. We have guys who have scored in this league.”
The Knights have scored four times in a shootout among seven players. Pavel Dorofeyev and Mitch Marner have taken the most attempts with six each.
Jack Eichel has taken, and missed, all four. Shea Theodore is 1-for-2.
The Knights are 4-for-17 and have one win to show for it, the Dec. 2 home game against Chicago.
It could be a mental thing, Cassidy said, but it also could be because it might not be the most important thing a player needs to deal with.
“Say a guy like Mitch or Jack who already chew on a lot. There’s power-play meetings, PK meetings, five-on-six meetings, six-on-five,” Cassidy said. “I don’t think you want to worry about a shootout until the shootout would come.”
Contrary to popular belief, the Knights aren’t the worst shootout team in the league. The Pittsburgh Penguins, with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, are 1-7.
It’s a different conversation if penalty shots are involved, like the one Marner had early in the first period Sunday in a 7-1 loss to Ottawa.
Marner had a chance to give the Knights a jolt early, but couldn’t even get a shot off.
“I’m not sure if they’re thinking deke too much or not enough shot. I don’t have a great answer for you there,” Cassidy said. “I don’t think you want to get into a guy’s head. There’s other information that comes that we have before the game.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
Up next
Who: Stars at Golden Knights
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: T-Mobile Arena
TV: KMCC-34
Radio: KFLG 94.7 FM, KKGK 1340 AM
Line: Knights -130; total 6