Golden Knights pull defeat from the jaws of victory against Capitals in rollercoaster shootout loss

Well, talk about deflating. After suffering through a brutal first half of the game, that second-period comeback had me thinking the Golden Knights might finally be turning over a new leaf. After Mitch Marner immediately scored on the power play, I truly thought Vegas had this one. And finally, after Washington was called for a high-sticking double-minor late in the third, I was certain it was over. Well, oops.

Instead, Vegas squandered a massive comeback, blew it late in the third, and met a familiar end in an 0-for shootout loss to drop their third straight and sixth of seven. At least they got a point? Let's get into the details of the latest letdown.

It all went wrong, then it all went right (for a little while)

The first half of the game went about as poorly as it could go. Following an early goal from Hendrix Lapierre and two second-period goals in quick succession, Vegas found themselves in a 3-0 pit. Unfortunately, this was not a new situation for the Golden Knights, as it's the fourth time it's happened in six games. Between poor defense and poor goaltending, everything appeard to be burning down, with the Caps scoring those three goals on their first nine shots while Logan Thompson shut out Vegas on their first 15.

Unlike those games, though, Vegas managed to claw out of the hole. While shorthanded, Nic Dowd picked Ryan Leonard's pocket and sniped it past Thompson for his first goal as a Golden Knight. was Just 25 seconds later, still on the penalty kill, Rasmus Andersson absolutely undressed several Capitals for an absolute beauty to cut the lead to one:

A few minutes later, Jack Eichel broke out of a funk and scored at even strength to tie it, with LT allowing three goals on three consecutive Vegas shots. Just like that, it was a new game, and shockingly enough, the momentum kept up, as Mitch Marner struck 31 seconds into the third for Vegas to take the lead.

In short, Vegas showed a new level of fight that hasn't appeared recently, and the offense well and truly woke up for the first time in ages. They didn't fold when they were down 3-0, scored four for the first time since the win over Chicago, and kept up strong special teams play that's had them staying somewhat afloat throughout this stretch. Also, ain't it wonderful what guys like Eichel and Marner can do when they actually shoot the puck? I won't lie, it was also e

However, the good vibes didn't last. Though Adin Hill stopped two of three Capitals skaters in the shootout, none of Andersson, Eichel, or Pavel Dorofeyev could solve Thompson. Vegas is now 1-7 in the shootout this season, which, needless to say, is not ideal.

Why in god's name did Adin Hill start again?

Go take a look at March's schedule. No, your eyes are not deceiving you. Saturday marked Adin Hill's tenth start in 11 games dating back to March 8, with Akira Schmid only handling the 4-1 loss to Nashville last week. For whatever reason, Hill's being played above and beyond that of even a normal starting goalie, despite his best work previously coming as the 1A in a proper tandem. Between that and his general poor play outside of a brief hot streak, things unsurprisingly did not go well. Hill allowed four goals to the Capitals on just 17 shots in regulation, making for an atrocious save percentage of .765, with blame for Dylan Strome's third-period equalizer laid squarely at his feet by coach Bruce Cassidy.

Surprisingly, the advanced stats are actually somewhat kind to Hill tonight, with Moneypuck only tagging him at a miniscule -0.01 goals saved above expected. In fairness, the Caps' goals mostly came on dangerous shots, with Lapierre taking advantage of a defensive breakdown and Sourdif being left alone at netfront, and Anthony Beauvillier scoring on a fluky deflection. Still, though, it was overall another poor night for a troubled goaltender, and you have to wonder if exhaustion is playing a part.

Up next, the Canucks on Monday. I want to get my hopes up given our last matchup, but it feels like fools gold to believe at the moment.