The two pieces of broken stick stayed below the goal line as goaltender Logan Thompson skated to the Golden Knights’ bench.
His frustration had boiled over with 8:26 to play Wednesday night at T-Mobile Arena. It was hard to blame him. Even if his poor stick had to pay the price by getting smashed over his goal post.
After entering the third period tied 1-1 with the New York Rangers, the Knights allowed four goals in a 5:35 span to lose 5-1 in front of an announced crowd of 17,939. The loss was their third straight at home.
The Knights were short-handed and facing a hungry team fighting to get back in the playoff picture. They also let the game get completely away from them.
The Knights (19-8-1) started slowly. They were outshot 15-5 in the first period and trailed 1-0 after a tip from right wing Kaapo Kakko.
A five-on-three power-play goal from right wing Jonathan Marchessault — his third goal in three games — tied the score with 6:22 left in the second period. The Knights, back home after a four-game trip, had an opportunity to get their crowd fired up and take control.
They couldn’t do it.
Center Mike Zibanejad fired a one-timer from the left circle to put the Rangers (13-10-5) ahead 2-1 with a power-play goal 5:59 into the third period. Center Filip Chytil scored 24 seconds later while Zibanejad’s goal was still being announced.
Left wing Alexis Lafreniere made it three goals in 1:53 by scoring 7:51 into the third. Another power-play one-timer by Zibanejad, this time off a faceoff, put the Rangers up 5-1 with 8:26 to go and shattered Thompson’s stick.
The Knights were playing without center Jack Eichel (lower-body injury) and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, whom the team said will be away indefinitely because of an illness in his family.
The Rangers found ways to keep piling on at the end as they fight for space in the standings. They made the Eastern Conference Finals last season but entered Wednesday out of a playoff spot.
The win was former Knights coach Gerard Gallant’s first as a visitor at T-Mobile Arena. He and the Rangers lost 5-1 on Jan. 6.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
1. Rough stuff
Tensions between the teams escalated in the second period.
First, Knights captain Mark Stone was cross-checked in front of the net by defenseman Ryan Lindgren with 6:50 left in the period. Then defenseman Shea Theodore was sent into the Knights’ goal away from the puck by right wing Barclay Goodrow 2:27 later. The collision caused the net to crash into the back of Thompson’s head.
That brought things to a boil. Goodrow and right wing Keegan Kolesar were sent to the penalty box after the play. When they exited, they skated a few strides into the Knights’ zone before dropping their gloves and fighting.
It was Kolesar’s third fight of the season, and he seemed to get the better of the exchange while sticking up for his teammates.
2. Lineup changes
The Knights made one roster move before the game, calling up left wing Jonas Rondbjerg for his season debut.
Coach Bruce Cassidy also tweaked things as the game went on. He kept juggling lines, especially the bottom six, searching for a spark during the slow start.
The tinkering appeared to get the team going. Cassidy put right wing Phil Kessel on the second line 9:09 into the second period, which affected the third and fourth lines, too.
The Knights had eight shots on goal when he made the change. They had 14 the rest of the period.
3. Shesterkin’s night
Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin, the 2022 Vezina Trophy winner, faced the Knights for the first time Wednesday.
It was a good first impression. He made 25 saves for his 12th win of the season.
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