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Michael Thomas / AP

St. Louis Blues’ Robert Thomas (18) and Vegas Golden Knights’ Shea Theodore (27) vie for the puck after a missed shot on goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Nov. 22, 2021 in St. Louis.

When Pete DeBoer spoke Monday morning about wanting his team to have better starts, the Golden Knights coach was likely envisioning what happened later in St. Louis. Vegas scored 36 seconds into the game and led 2-0 by the seven-minute mark.

What happened after that — not as good for Vegas.

The Blues erased the deficit by scoring three quick goals in the first, then adding another in both the second and third periods, tallying five unanswered to send the Golden Knights to a 5-2 defeat at Enterprise Center.

“Good start but they scored one and it kind of snowballed on us pretty quickly,” goalie Robin Lehner said. “It was a pretty big momentum swing, and we’ve got to handle that better.”

Chandler Stephenson put the Golden Knights on the board early, cleaning up a rebound on the first shift of the game. Reilly Smith had the second, finishing a breakaway from a Ben Hutton outlet pass at 6:50.

The Blues scored three quick ones after that, then a power-play goal 1:28 into the second and a final dagger 9:37 into the third.

Here are three takeaways from the loss.

“We let them back in the game”

A 2-0 margin, despite it being considered the most dangerous lead in hockey, is typically safe for whoever has it. Granted, the Golden Knights entered the game with a league-best three multigoal comebacks, but they don’t typically let the opponent back in.

Vegas led 2-0 until Ryan O’Reilly’s one-timer trickled by Lehner, which was the start of the Blues’ avalanche. Tyler Bozak put back a rebound at 11:57, then Justin Faulk broke loose and put St. Louis on top 33 seconds later.

The three goals came 2:15 apart and in the span of four shots.

“We got the start we wanted for a change, and we talked about that, and then we let them back in the game,” coach Pete DeBoer. “If you’re going to win on the road you can’t beat yourself in this league and I thought that was the case in the first.”

Reilly Smith hot streak

Smith’s goal was his third in as many games, as well as his sixth in the past seven outings. It gave him eight goals and 14 points on the year, both second on the team.

Smith is perhaps the most diverse goal-scorer on the team. He’s the only one who has scored at even strength, on the power play and short-handed, and is tied for the team lead with two game-winning goals. His 57 shots this season lead the squad, and his current production is a 35-goal, 60-point pace over 82 games.

“On my goal tonight, Hutton made a great play, just being able to stretch the zone and find me,” Smith said. “We’re going to keep on trying to get breakaways, odd-man rushes from neutral-zone coverage. Hopefully I can keep on finding those spots, so just trying to make the most of those.”

Plenty of new faces

Monday marked the Golden Knights’ debut of forward Adam Brooks, who was claimed off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday. Paperwork in crossing the Canadian border prevented him from joining the team during the last homestand, but he suited up against the Blues. He had 13:56 of ice time and had two shot attempts, one on goal.

On a team ravaged by injuries and COVID-19 issues, Brooks was the 33rd player to appear for the Golden Knights this season in just the team’s 19th game. Last season in 56 games the Golden Knights used only 30 players, while the team record is 35 players used in both 2017-18 and 2019-20.

That, of course, hasn’t been the plan. Vegas has already played two waiver claims (Brooks and Michael Amadio), signed a free agent after the season began (Ben Hutton), and have had six players make their NHL debuts.

Hopefully that’s coming to an end. Max Pacioretty, last year’s leading goal scorer who was injured in the second game of the season, is on the road trip and has a chance to play Wednesday. If he does, he’ll join Mark Stone, Zach Whitecloud and Shea Theodore as players who have returned after being hurt as recently as last homestand.

Article written by #LasVegasSun

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