LOS ANGELES — Somehow, playing almost two full periods of hockey didn’t leave Nate Schmidt looking exhausted, though he certainly felt the part.
The Golden Knights’ defenseman is used to logging heavy minutes, as he leads the team in average time on ice with 22 minutes, 14 seconds a game. But with the Knights locked in a close game against the Los Angeles Kings on Friday night in Game 2 of their Western Conference quarterfinal matchup at T-Mobile Arena, Schmidt kept going over the boards, taking shift after shift after shift.
He was ready to go back out again when Erik Haula ended the marathon with his winning goal with 4:37 left in the second overtime for a 2-1 victory and 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.