Golden Knights fall again via shootout as Devils prevail

Danny Webster, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Dec 18, 2025

Published in Hockey

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The Golden Knights found a way to rally and earn a point even though they didn’t have two of their best players.

They probably needed that pair to get over the last hurdle.

The Knights rallied late to secure a point, but lost 2-1 in a shootout to the New Jersey Devils at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday.

Pavel Dorofeyev scored the game-tying power play goal with 4:10 remaining on a broken play where he was alone on the backdoor.

The Knights (16-6-10) needed that kind of a play to go their way, given they were without center Jack Eichel (illness) and defenseman Shea Theodore (upper body).

But they found a way to extend their point streak to eight games in what is a quick trip home for the Knights before playing a Western Canada back-to-back in Calgary on Saturday and Edmonton on Sunday.

Coach Bruce Cassidy labeled Eichel and Theodore as day to day, but their status for that road trip is up in the air.

Devils win shootout

New Jersey left wing Jesper Bratt scored the lone goal in the shootout in the top of the second round.

Goaltender Carter Hart made 32 saves, and the Knights earned a point for the fifth time in Hart’s five starts. The Knights were coming off a East Coast road trip during which they went 4-0-1.

Devils goaltender Jake Allen carried a shutout into the third period before Dorofeyev’s goal, but finished with 37 saves and earned his 10th win of the season.

New Jersey (19-14-1) won for just the third time in its last 10 games.

Even without Eichel and Theodore, the Knights had their chances. They crashed the net and forced Allen to make tough saves.

They couldn’t get going on the power play, though. Entries weren’t clean and there was no rhythm cycling around the offensive zone.

Defenseman Noah Hanifin replaced right wing Braeden Bowman on the man advantage, going back to a traditional four-forward, one-defenseman look, and it seemed formidable.

Dorofeyev’s goal capped off a 1-for-4 outing on the power play.

Knights’ missed chances

The Knights had a chance to end it on their fourth try with a power play in the final 1:53 of the extra period, but Mitch Marner and Mark Stone each hit a post.

Stone’s jam attempt hit the far post and the puck sat at the edge of the crease.

Allen stopped all 25 shots he faced through two periods.

The Devils struck first on the back of their goaltender’s play. Devils right wing Connor Brown converted off a turnover from Hanifin and beat Hart with a power move at 4:50 of the second for a 1-0 New Jersey lead.

Both goaltenders made saves to give their team a chance. The only one Hart couldn’t stop in the shootout was a nifty backhand move by Bratt.

Marner’s tying attempt in the final round was pokechecked by Allen then kicked in by Marner, but the referee waived the goal off.

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