Golden Knights Lose Shootout, Fall 5–4 to Islanders

But the Islanders stole momentum late in the period. Bo Horvat cut the lead to 2–1 with 27 seconds left, finishing a slap shot after Vegas failed to clear the zone, a sequence that foreshadowed the issues to come.

Turnovers flip the game in the second

If the first period was one of Vegas’ best, the second was among its worst. The Knights were outshot, out-skated and out-executed, and their turnover issues snowballed.

Marc Gatcomb tied the game 2–2 just under four minutes into the second after a failed Vegas breakout. Simon Holmstrom gave the Islanders a 3–2 lead at 13:30, moments after another broken exit play. By then, New York was forechecking at will while Vegas struggled to connect even simple passes.

Carter Hart kept the game from slipping further, turning aside several clean looks after giveaways, including a Barzal redirection off the left post and a Pulock blast through traffic.

Barbashev flips momentum with one of Vegas’ filthiest goals of the year

The third period began with a jolt.

Just 1:27 in, Ivan Barbashev scored one of the filthiest goals of Vegas’ season, diving fully extended to poke a rolling puck past Ilya Sorokin. The finish came off a Braeden Bowman setup, with Eichel collecting his second assist of the night.

The goal snapped an 11-game drought for Barbashev and instantly changed the tone of the final frame.

Horvat strikes again, but Vegas answers at the buzzer

Vegas’ surge stalled midway through the period when Horvat buried his second of the night on the power play at 10:15, restoring a 4–3 Islanders lead.

From that point on, Vegas pushed relentlessly. Stone created multiple turnovers, Dorofeyev delivered two heavy forecheck hits on Holmstrom and Hertl generated three grade-A chances.

The payoff finally came with 14 seconds left. With Hart pulled and Vegas attacking 6-on-4 after a late delay-of-game penalty, Dorofeyev pumped home the tying goal from the right circle off feeds from Marner and Stone. It was his 12th of the season and another example of his late-game touch.

Overtime chances, but Sorokin denies them all

Vegas outshot the Islanders 5–0 in overtime, including three clean looks for Hertl and a slap shot for Stone, but Sorokin held firm. Hart matched him at the other end, stopping Horvat on a rush and tracking Holmstrom through the slot.

For the second straight meeting between these teams, overtime wasn’t enough. This time, Vegas controlled play but couldn’t finish.

Shootout slips away

Neither team scored through the first five rounds until Heineman slipped in the winner with a forehand in the sixth. Vegas went 0-for-6 in the tiebreaker, with attempts from Dorofeyev, Marner, Eichel and Theodore among those turned away.

It marked the Islanders’ second win over Vegas this season, both by one goal and both requiring extra time.

Hart steady again

Hart finished with 23 saves on 27 shots (.852), a number weighed down by deflections and defensive-zone giveaways rather than clean failures. He delivered two key stops late in overtime to extend the game and continues to give Vegas stability despite the team’s inconsistency in front of him.

What’s next for the Golden Knights

Vegas continues its road trip on Thursday, Dec. 11 in Philadelphia (15–9–3) at 4 p.m. PT on ESPN, the third stop of a four-game East Coast swing. The trip continues in Columbus (13–10–6) on Saturday, Dec. 13, also on ESPN, before the Golden Knights return home to face New Jersey (16–12–1) on Wednesday, Dec. 17 on TNT, Max and truTV, 12 days after defeating the Red Devils 3–0.

Related stories