Golden Knights ‘didn’t meet standards’ in 3rd period in loss to Nashville

Vegas Golden Knights coach Ryan Craig noted Friday morning how the Nashville Predators have been playing a direct game during this hot streak of theirs.

Craig pointed to the Predators being able to work the puck down low and letting their forwards use their size to their advantage.

The Knights defended that well in the first two periods. It went off the rails in the third and eventually led to them losing 3-2 in a shootout to Nashville at T-Mobile Arena on Friday.

Nashville center Ryan O’Reilly scored both goals, including the tying one midway through the third period that showcased why the Predators have now won seven games in a row.

O’Reilly gathered the puck behind the net, but no Knights covered the strong side, giving the 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner enough space to pick the corner short side.

Ryan O’Reilly SNIPES it short side on Adin Hill to tie it in the third 🎯 https://t.co/EKHnAHiBSv

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) November 14, 2026

“Puck comes up to the blue line, they reset it back behind the net, and we lose that two-layer coverage that we have,” Craig said. “I think we get tied up in the net-front with our D, and now we don’t get over there to stop him.”

The Knights chalked it up to poor puck management that allowed the Predators to get back into the game.

Defenseman Rasmus Andersson said that was the difference in the third, which was a stark contrast after outshooting Nashville 34-20 through the first 40 minutes.

“We just didn’t really take care of the puck and had too many giveaways,” Andersson said. “I thought they did a good job in the third, and I just thought we didn’t really meet our standards in the third.”

Great work down low from Mavrik Bourque, and a great read from Stamkos. https://t.co/NiDbWIrTgF

— Danny Webster (@DannyWebster21) November 14, 2026

One who won’t get the blame for the loss is goaltender Adin Hill, who did all he could in trying to keep up with Nashville’s Juuse Saros at the other end.

Hill finished with a season-high 30 saves, five days after making 28 saves in the win in Buffalo. Hill has a .942 save percentage in his past three starts and has earned a point in four of his last five.

Saros was spectacular with 40 saves. His effort in the first two periods gave Nashville a chance.

Andersson said that while Saros delivered, he didn’t think the Knights generated nearly enough to challenge him.

“He’s a really good goalie, but can we create more traffic and chaos a little bit like they did to us in the third? For sure,” Andersson said. “Short answer, a little bit of both.”

Craig noted that Saros was the difference in the first two periods and was the reason why the Knights couldn’t push their lead any further.

Where things unraveled in Craig’s mind is the inability to get out of their defensive zone.

“In the third, I don’t think we managed pucks the way we did in the first two periods,” Craig said. “Meaning, it wasn’t so much in the neutral zone. It was more on our defensive blue line. We threw some pucks away, didn’t move our feet, didn’t use our support like we did at times in the first two periods to get us up and out of trouble.”

All things considered, to carry a lead into the third, be vastly outplayed and still get it to overtime with a chance to win is a silver lining given how the Knights have played. They were 10-0-0 before Friday when leading after two periods.

Sunday’s matchup against the 3-17-1 Vancouver Canucks should be enough of a palate cleanser to correct course.

Contact Danny Webster at [email protected]. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.