Postgame: Golden Knights Blow Lead, Settle for Point vs. Red-Hot Predators

The Vegas Golden Knights were in prime position to end the longest points streak in the NHL this season. The Nashville Predators had points in 17 straight games since coach Andrew Brunette was unhappy with his team’s effort and canceled a team party to see U2 at The Sphere in Las Vegas, so it would have been somewhat poetic had the Golden Knights ended the point streak that began in Vegas.

However, a three-goal third period lead was not enough, and a failed coach’s challenge by Bruce Cassidy helped Nashville score a pair of goals 40 seconds apart to force overtime and ultimately win 5-4 in OT at Bridgestone Arena Tuesday.

That’s points in 18 straight for Nashville (16-0-2)

“The coach’s challenge didn’t help us. We have a video team that looks at it, they pretty were certain it was offside,” Cassidey said. “When you look at it, it looks like it has to be offside, almost by physics, but that’s not the way (referees) saw it, so then you have to get a penalty kill. We didn’t do that either.”

The Golden Knights outshot Nashville 13-8 in the third period, but goalie Jiri Patera, who was recalled after Adin Hill’s injury, allowed the trio of goals in the final period and the game-winner to Roman Josi.

It was the second straight game the Golden Knights needed overtime to decide the contest against a Western Conference playoff rival. Before the game, they trailed Nashville by three points for the first wild-card spot. Now it’s four, but the Golden Knights extended their lead to six points over the St. Louis Blues for the final spot.

“We’ll look at the (loss) tomorrow. It’s not the end of the world. You’re going to have those games,” Cassidy said. “We’ve been building in the right direction. We did a lot of good things. In the third period, I think they scored on all of their chances, to be honest with you.”

The VGK four-goal outburst began less than three minutes into the game.

Golden Knights top line began the scoring when winger Jonathan Marchessault launched Jack Eichel on a two-on-one counterattack. Eichel dished a filthy saucer pass to Ivan Barbashev (16) for the first goal at 2:45.

Just a couple of minutes later, the Golden Knights forecheck created a turnover and offensive attack with numbers. The fourth line swarmed the Nashville net, and Brett Howden (7) snapped a short wrister past Nashville goalie Juuse Saros at 5:08.

Later in the first period, the Golden Knights claimed a 3-0 lead on Shea Theodore’s fifth goal of the year at 16:43.

A 3-0 lead with 26 minutes remaining should be enough, but it wasn’t for the Golden Knights. Nashville didn’t relent, and Patera made a couple of spectacular saves later in the first period and into the second before Nashville finally broke through. Journeyman Mark Jankowski (5) scored at 14:33 of the second.

Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin set up William Karlsson (25) for what should have been the backbreaker in the final minute of the second period and a 4-1 VGK lead.

However, five minutes into the third period, Ryan O’Reilly (25) got Nashville started. Patera failed to glove O’Reilly’s wrister setting up a dramatic Nashville comeback, as Nashville then scored a pair of goals 40 seconds apart.

Filip Forsberg (40) stormed the net with newly acquired Jason Zucker, and Forsberg buried the rebound at 12:17. The goal survived a razor-thin coach’s challenge for offside, but the challenge gave Nashville a fateful power play.

Gustav Nyquist converted the man-advantage and earned his 20th goal of the season for the tying goal.

And Josi scored less than a minute into overtime.

Golden Knights winger Anthony Mantha had a pair of assists and Karlsson had a goal and an assist to lead the Golden Knights in scoring. The Golden Knights continue the four-game Central Division swing with a tilt in Winnipeg on Thursday.