It’s like listening to that same song on repeat when it first comes out.
It’s a jam for a little bit. You’re vibing to the music. You know the words by heart after the eighth straight play. Twenty times on repeat, it gets stale and you’re finally on to the next song of choice.
That’s the best way to describe the Vegas Golden Knights and their comeback bids.
It’s the same song and dance. It happened twice in 24 hours. Three times since Thursday.
The Knights found themselves down three goals early in the second period — scored twice to make it interesting — but ultimately lost 4-3 to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night at Honda Center for their fifth straight loss.
“It seems like the past little bit we’ve been chasing way too much,” defenseman Shea Theodore said. “We’ve been trying to rely on our comebacks, and it’s not good enough.”
Times have changed
It’s not just that the Knights gave up the opening goal for the eighth time in 10 games, nor is it that they have completely erased whatever momentum they generated from their season-best seven-game winning streak not too long ago.
After his team allowed two goals in front of the net Saturday night in a loss to Seattle by way of no fight near the crease, Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said they needed to have more compete near the blue paint.
Anaheim’s first two goals came on deflections — not actual shooting motions — from left wing Chris Kreider.
Kreider found himself front and center in the blue paint with three Knights players surrounding him after goaltender Adin Hill played the pass from center Ryan Poehling.
“The first goal, we could’ve done a better job,” Cassidy said.
— Danny Webster (@DannyWebster21) February 2, 2026
Cassidy added he felt the Knights didn’t play the rush game very well, which also led to Kreider’s second goal.
After a couple of chances that were off net, Kreider deflected a shot from defenseman Jacob Trouba that Hill couldn’t read 1:10 into the second.
But the third goal, a power-play snipe from winger Cutter Gauthier, was a short-side finish that — based on Cassidy’s response — Hill should’ve stopped.
“That’s the one that hurt us. It should’ve never gone in,” Cassidy said. “It was a short-side goal that our kill is designed (to stop). We try to help the D block the far side. That’s the save we needed at the end of the day to probably earn points tonight by the looks of it.”
Fight is too little, too late
The Knights, as they’ve so often done with eight third-period comeback bids this year, found their game when their back was against the wall.
Mitch Marner and Ivan Barbashev’s goals cut the deficit to one, and the Knights got the juice from it. But they ran out of steam, as they also often have done.
“I felt like we made a charge in the third,” Theodore said. “We showed when we’re on the forecheck and able to get on the inside, we made some good plays.”
The results are what they are. The Knights lost a fifth straight game for the second time since the turn of the new year. They answered that first one with seven straight wins in some of their best hockey.
It’s since gone up in smoke.
They’re now tied with the Edmonton Oilers, with a game in hand, for first place in the Pacific Division. First place to sixth place is separated by six points.
The Knights had a chance going into the Jan. 19 game against Philadelphia to create a Grand Canyon-wide gap in a division that has been nothing short of disappointing this season.
Now, with two games left before the break for the Winter Olympics — which the Knights will send nine players to — room for error is getting smaller.
At some point, the Knights will hammer home the point of starting on time and doing it. There’s no answer right now on when that’ll happen.
“Overall, not good enough,” Theodore said. “There’s two games left before the break and we want to be feeling good going into it. Right now, it sucks.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.