Heika’s Take: Penalty troubles arise as Stars drop 3-2 loss to Golden Knights

The Stars picked the wrong time to take their most penalties in a single game this season.

With Vegas captain Mark Stone returning to the lineup after an injury absence, the struggling Golden Knights power play went 2-for-6 in a 3-2 win over the Stars at T-Mobile Arena on Friday. Vegas cashed in on a 5-on-3 in the first period and then a Jamie Benn double minor in the second, and that pretty much provided the difference in the game.

“It was too much,” said Stars coach Pete DeBoer. “You’re not going to beat a good team going on the road taking 12 minutes in penalties to their four. That’s a big advantage for them and they made us pay for it.”

The Stars actually killed off a Roope Hintz interference penalty nine minutes into the game, but then Sam Steel took a slash 14 minutes in and Mavrik Bourque followed with a trip a minute later. It took the Golden Knights just eight seconds to score on the two-man advantage as Tomáš Hertl tallied his ninth goal of the year and Vegas had the all-important first goal of the game.

Bourque redeemed himself in the second period when he pushed in his second goal of the season six minutes in, but then Benn took a double minor for high-sticking, and that was bad for a number of reasons. One, the Stars were on the power play at the time, so that took away momentum and handed Vegas the chance to really dig in with the extended man advantage. And two, the Golden Knights scored on the power play at 15:40 and then at even strength at 16:48.

“We can’t be doing that against this team. They’ve got a great power play, and they made us pay for it,” Benn said. “I definitely could have prevented my penalty. I can only speak for myself, but it was a dumb penalty and they found a way to get one in the net.”

That made the score 3-1, and it allowed a Vegas team that is now 18-7-3 and 11-1-0 when leading after two periods to carry the game home.

Dallas pushed hard, taking an 18-7 advantage in shots on goal in the third period, but Vegas goalie Adin Hill held on tight. Mason Marchment popped in his 12th goal of the year to make it a one-goal game during a 6-on-5 advantage, but the Stars could get no closer. Dallas has had a couple of games on the road where they have failed to convert some great chances. And, in the end, the goals from Bourque and Marchment were hard-working tallies scored around the net.

“We’ve got to bear down and find a way to get some greasy ones,” Benn said. “We’re probably looking for too many pretty ones, and that’s not how you score in this league.”

Dallas appeared to have a greasy goal early in the game, as Jason Robertson made a great play at the net to push in a puck that appeared to be under the glove of Hill. Vegas challenged the play, and the goal was disallowed because officials said Robertson interfered with Hill’s glove.

“It was a bang-bang play,” DeBoer said. “I didn’t think his stick hit the glove, I thought he got to the puck as the glove was coming down, that’s why his stick was under the glove. But they saw it differently.”

Robertson has one goal in his past 18 games, so the moment could have been frustrating, but he said he took it more as motivation.

After scoring 29 goals last season, and 40-plus in each of the two previous years, Robertson has just five so far in 26 games. DeBoer said players have to rebound from moments like that.

“It might be frustrating, but get out there and find another way to score,” DeBoer said. “That’s what you’re supposed to do.”

The Stars last season set a franchise record for road wins at 26-10-5. So far this season, they are 6-8-0 as the road team.

On Wednesday in Los Angeles, they couldn’t capitalize on chances and lost a multi-goal lead in a 3-2 defeat. Last week in Chicago, they allowed a handful of early goals and lost 6-2.

“I think a timely save, a timely goal, that’s what it comes down to,” DeBoer said of the road woes. “Tonight was the same. If you’re going to be a good road team, you’ve got to get timely goals at the right time and you’ve got to get timely saves, and we don’t seem to be getting either of those on the road right now.”

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.