Road trip ends on sour note in 5-3 Vegas loss to Chicago

Tomas Hertl was the lone bright spot for Vegas, with a three-point game (two goals, one assist) in a 5-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Victor Olofsson also scored for the Golden Knights, who have lost five of the last six games.

Tyler Bertuzzi had two power play goals and Petr Mrazek had 32 saves for Chicago, who broke their four game losing streak. Taylor Hall, Seth Jones, and Lukas Reichel also scored.

Much like the first period last night in Carolina, Vegas came on and started quite well, getting some good chances on Petr Mrazek. Chicago kept pace with the Golden Knights, scraping some of their own chances on Ilya Samsonov that he was able to keep out. Also like Saturday night, a lovely feed by Pietrangelo led to the game’s first goal from Victor Olofsson.

Credit to the Blackhawks who didn’t look phased by the goal, even as Vegas started to gain more and more control in the period. They ended up with four of the next six shots on the Golden Knights. With four minutes left, Chicago was rewarded for their scrappiness in the first with the tying goal: Lukas Reichel outhustled Nicolas Hague to the puck and slipped it past Samsonov.

Then Alex Pietrangelo got called for tripping 11 seconds later, and things started to get squirrely. Tyler Bertuzzi scored nine seconds into the power play off a deflection of a nice Seth Jones feed. Taylor Hall made it 3-1 just before the horn in a fit of chaos that was quite befitting of that last chunk of the first period.

The second period was windy and wild

The second period began with the Golden Knights trying to reacquire that spark offensively. It worked for a time as they got five straight shots to start the period before Tomas Hertl legged it past Martinez and slipped home his 14th goal of the season to make it 3-2. Then it caught a nitro-infused afterburner like it was the Cassandra-4.

After a holding call on TJ Brodie, Hertl would find his way back on the score sheet with his 15th goal at 14:42 to tie the game, 3-3. The Golden Knights would outshoot Chicago, 17-3, in the second period, and control almost every inch of the second period. Unfortunately, they would end the second period down 4-3 thanks to Seth Jones flat-out beating Samsonov on the top corner with 1:02 left in the period.

Things in the third started much like the second for Vegas as they generated some decent chances on Mrazek. But like the last bit of the second period, Chicago took whatever opportunity that came to them and cashed in. This time, it was Tyler Bertuzzi with his second on the power play from Seth Jones to make it 5-3; a near copycat of his tally from the first period.

For the last 15:52, it looked much like the other couple of games on this road trip for the Golden Knights. Some good chances here and there, but nothing in the tank to fully get themselves out of the hole the first 40 minutes left themselves in.

Next on the Marquee:

A Martin Luther King, Jr. Day matinee back in Vegas against the St. Louis Blues looms. The first of a home-and-away series with the Blues coming at the worst time for this team, despite Vegas beating St. Louis, 4-3, the last time they played back in October. On the plus side, given their up-and-down play this month, this would be a good opportunity to take this game, start a run, and end this mess of a month strong. We shall see [fingers crossed and rabbit’s feet clutched]. Until then…