The Golden Knights visited former Knight Chandler Stephenson in Seattle tonight at 10:00 p.m. Chandler Stephenson has only scored once in the 2024-2025 NHL season with the Seattle Kraken. Luckily, he is not the only player feeling growing pains in the year’s games. Captain Mark Stone did not make an appearance in tonight’s game due to a lower-body injury. Read on as we break down the reunion game, as Vegas sought to continue their road game wins, and Seattle was eager to overcome their four-game losing streak.
Period One
The first period was entertaining, to say the least. The first half of the first period provided numerous scoring chances for each club. Brett Howden drew an early high-sticking penalty. Although Vegas was the least penalized team in the league, they drew the first of the penalties in this matchup.
The man-advantage proved unproductive for Seattle who drew a penalty shortly after the finish of their power play. Off the faceoff, Seattle immediately drew another penalty, making the battle five-on-three. With the Golden Knights third in the league on the power play, they did not disappoint when Pavel Dorofeyev scored. Dorofeyev now leads the club in goals scored this season.
Tipping the scale for dominance in period one, the Golden Knights laid down the law on the Kraken. The Knights’ defense looked sharp in period one. Obsessively breaking up plays, lifting sticks, and physically challenging the Kraken’s forwards on the boards. Goaltender Adin Hill made a few phenomenal saves back-to-back in the first, proving his dependability in the net.
The Golden Knights got comfortable in the offensive zone and made some of the most crisp, rapid, and accurate passes seen so far in the season, setting up Nicolas Roy to score. The score was now 2-0, and a break in the Knight’s defense created the perfect turnover for Brandon Tanev, who hit the breakaway and scored.
Period Two
Period two for the Golden Knights, like earlier games, became shaky. The offense struggled to push past the neutral zone, and the defensive line settled in their area. The Knights’ defense performed in desperate moments but failed to execute and created opportunities for each goal for Seattle.
The polar opposite gameplay in the second needs simplification and consistency for the Knights’ blueline to tighten their perimeters and shut down enemy offensive plays. Seattle Kraken player Brandon Tanev threw another puck into the net, evening the score at 2-2. The Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken spent most of the period trading scoring chances.
Period Three Into Overtime
Work was to be done for the Golden Knights in the third period. After a rough second, there was still hope to take the lead. With the Seattle Kraken inching closer and closer to taking over the scoreboard, the Knights needed to bear down the hatches and flip the script.
Unfortunately, the Kraken took advantage of a tired pass and headed into the offensive zone. After a shot, Adin Hill poke-checked the puck, but it deflected off a Kraken player and over a sprawled-out Hill and into the net. The clock was ticking down, and the Golden Knights were bearing down on the Kraken.
The determined Seattle Kraken club was desperate to end their losing streak and forced Vegas to change strategy. With roughly two minutes left in the final period, Head Coach Bruce Cassidy pulled goaltender Adin Hill. With the extra attacker on the ice, the Golden Knights kept the puck in the offensive zone. Alex Pietrangelo was the Knight who made the score, tying the game.
Straight into overtime, the Golden Knights repeated a costly mistake they had previously made many times in this game: tired passes. A pass was picked off by Seattle Kraken player Jared McCann, who hit the breakaway and threw a backhand goal into the net, winning the game just seconds into the post-regulation session.
The Golden Knights vs. Seattle Kraken
The Las Vegas Golden Knights are resilient, and that is a stubborn argument to dispute. After taking a 2-0 lead, the offense grew tired and relied almost entirely on the defense. The Golden Knights turned over too many pucks in this matchup, allowing the Seattle Kraken to catch, take, and finalize the lead (4-3). Although there are many areas where the VGK has progressed, the club’s gameplay: managing the puck and keeping the momentum must happen before the playoffs become a more significant factor. All in all, Vegas had impressive moments, especially from goaltender Adin Hill, but they continue to struggle to lock the road games down.
