3 takeaways: ‘Puck luck’ goes Knights’ way in much-needed Game 4 win
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Should “puck luck” ever find its way into the dictionary, two pictures should be placed next to it.
The first will show a puck bouncing off center Tomas Hertl’s right leg while crouched on the ice, deflecting into the net.
The second will be Ivan Barbashev seeing the puck bounce to his stick near the blue paint.
Those two moments saved the Golden Knights’ season.
Barbashev’s goal came with 2:34 remaining in overtime to give the Knights a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Wild in Game 4 of their first-round series Saturday at Xcel Energy Center.
The series is tied 2-2. Game 5 is back at T-Mobile Arena at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
VEGAS HAS TIED THE SERIES! ⚔️
Ivan Barbashev wins Game 4 in @Energizer overtime for the @GoldenKnights! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/DQGSoCldst
— NHL (@NHL) April 26, 2025
“This was a pivotal game for our group to turn it around and kind of just get rewarded for the play we felt like we were having,” defenseman Shea Theodore said. “This was a big game for us.”
Not all bounces are created equal. The Knights learned that the hard way in Games 2 and 3.
Game 2 saw four turnovers from Theodore turn into four Minnesota goals in a 5-2 home loss.
It was the same in Game 3, with a mix of bad puck management.
The Knights felt like they were due. Then came the 10:03 mark of the third.
Hertl cut to the crease after winning an offensive-zone faceoff. He got tangled with Wild center Ryan Hartman near the crease. Both went down.
As Hertl tried to establish a vertical base, captain Mark Stone fired a pass from the half wall. The puck went between Hertl’s legs, bounced off the right and into the net, giving the Knights a 3-2 lead.
“I’ve seen Mark Stone do some really smart things that you look after and go, ‘Wow,’” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We get the break on that.”
whatever works! 🙃 pic.twitter.com/epVp1LOMMU
— y-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 26, 2025
The lead didn’t last long. Minnesota captain Jared Spurgeon scored on a wrap-around 54 seconds later to tie it 3-3.
The Knights trailed 2-1 entering the third period with their season on the brink. Center Nicolas Roy scored a power-play goal at 4:50, off a four-minute, double-minor penalty, to tie it 2-2.
Defenseman Shea Theodore added a power-play goal for his first of the series, and goaltender Adin Hill made 29 saves.
“It was never a panic when they scored that goal after we scored ours,” Roy said. “We didn’t change our game. I think we stuck with it, and I think, overall, we were pretty good.”
The Knights have been outscored 5-2 at five-on-five the past two games. They played their best even-strength game in overtime.
They also survived a holding call on Roy at 8:09 by killing that penalty.
They were rewarded when Barbashev forced a turnover, corralled a loose puck from Roy in front and scored the first playoff overtime goal of his career.
That might be more of the typical “playoff goal” than puck luck, but that bounce likely isn’t there for the Knights earlier this week.
“It seems like those are the bounces we weren’t quite getting the first couple games,” Theodore said. “To have some of those go in and get some confidence from it, it’s going to be big going forward.”
The Knights’ locker room had a different feel when the series shifted to Minnesota. It was a stern and tense after losing Games 2 and 3 by a combined score of 10-4.
They’re leaving Minnesota a little bit happier than they arrived with home-ice advantage back in their favor.
“At the end of the day, it’s 2-2. It’s a best-of-three,” Cassidy said. “It’s been hard-fought every inch of ice. Emotionally, we’re going to enjoy it, but tomorrow we’ll rest and get back to work on Monday.”
Here are three takeaways from the win:
1. Lines in a blender
The Knights needed a wake-up call at five-on-five. Cassidy responded by drastically shaking up the lines.
The top line of Stone and center Jack Eichel was broken up, putting Eichel with center William Karlsson.
Stone skated with Hertl and left wing Brett Howden, while Roy and Barbashev were with right wing Reilly Smith.
Eichel, Stone and Barbashev entered Saturday with no points. They combined for four in Game 4.
Cassidy liked Eichel and Karlsson together because of their familiarity on the penalty kill. Roy and Smith played together after the Knights reacquired Smith from the New York Rangers in March. Stone and Howden have skated together on and off the past three seasons.
Cassidy said an undisclosed forward was battling an illness during the second and third periods, forcing some more shuffling.
Left wing Tanner Pearson played a team-low 8:49 and didn’t play in the third period.
2. Hill’s big stops
After giving up four goals in consecutive games, the Knights needed some saves from their No. 1 goaltender.
He delivered.
Hill’s biggest stops came in crucial moments. He got a pad on a backdoor attempt from left wing Kirill Kaprizov in the first period to keep it tied 1-1.
Shortly after Spurgeon’s goal, Hill stopped a breakaway from left wing Yakov Trenin with 8:21 remaining.
It hasn’t been the easiest series for Hill, but he made key plays at the right time. That’s all the Knights ever ask from him.
3. Late lineup change
Cassidy said before the game that the same group from Game 3 was going to play Saturday.
There must have been a change of heart at the 11th hour.
Left wing Victor Olofsson drew out of the lineup for Pearson, with Howden moving up to the third line with Karlsson and Smith.
No reason was given for the switch.
It’s likely Cassidy wanted to go with a more north-south checking group. This doesn’t seem to be an indictment on Olofsson. He played well the first three games without getting on the score sheet.
Considering the Knights found a way to even the series with a jumbled forward group, there may be more decisions to make than just at left wing for Game 5.
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.