LAS VEGAS _ When Jim Montgomery accepted the head coaching position with the Stars over the summer, he said his team would be relentless. That would be the team identity, one who pressured pucks all over the ice and wore teams down with their puck possession.
Hours before the Stars' 4-2 loss to the Golden Knights, Montgomery bestowed that label upon his hosts.
"I think they're a relentless team," Montgomery said. "Second and third effort is great, so I think a lot of times they make their own breaks."
The Golden Knights were the darling of last season, the little expansion franchise who could, with their feisty Twitter account and goofy pregame performance, their raucous home crowd in the "Fortress" and their run to the Stanley Cup Final. But on that ride, the Golden Knights were a team rooted in speed and hard work, one whose play last year impressed Montgomery.
On Sunday night, the Golden Knights scored twice on second efforts, helping to negate two power-play goals from the second unit. (Martin Hanzal and Esa Lindell both scored.) The loss snapped the Stars' season-long four-game win streak and began their four-game road trip with a loss. It was also Dallas' first regulation loss to a team from the Pacific Division.
In the first period, Ryan Carpenter camped out at the side of the net and buried a rebound while five Stars occupied open ice in the slot. In the second period, Alex Tuch found a loose puck in front of the crease, beating Miro Heiskanen to it and swiping it between Bishop's legs.
The two goals weren't pretty and they weren't going to crack any highlight reels. But they were relentless.
For the Stars, it was a trait they'd recently found during the four-game win streak. After a streak in which Montgomery was repeatedly puzzled by a lack of consistent work ethic from his team, they found it. After a last-minute loss in Colorado, Montgomery remarked about how the team was playing for each other. He felt the team had become more selfless. They'd found their work ethic.
At even-strength on Sunday night, the Stars generated little offense. Aside from Tyler Seguin, that is. Seguin looked to open the scoring in the game's first minute, rifling a won faceoff on net from the hashmarks. It appeared to be Seguin's ninth goal of the season after a seemingly snake-bitten campaign. Instead, it rang the crossbar.
That's been a familiar sight for Seguin this season, who entered Sunday night having hit nine posts, the most in the NHL.
In the second period, Seguin had a chance to puncture the scoreboard on a breakaway, but was denied by Fleury.
On the other side, Bishop didn't make the same saves Fleury did. William Karlsson's shot went between his legs from above the left dot. Tuch's slipped between his legs from the slot. In past games this season, Bishop made those saves. It's why he's been one of the best goalies in the NHL this season and had the second-best save percentage and goals against average in the Western Conference. Not on Sunday night, though.
