Tomas Hertl became the exact player the Golden Knights needed in the regular season.

Someone who could park themselves in front of the net, score goals near the crease and be an almost unstoppable force on the power play.

The Knights could have used that guy in the playoffs. But Hertl didn’t contribute at the same level.

The 31-year-old center, after scoring 32 goals in the regular season, including a franchise record 14 on the power play, was held to just three in the playoffs.

Hertl didn’t have a point the Knights’ final seven postseason games, which meant he was quiet for their entire five-game loss in the second round to the Edmonton Oilers.

“It definitely was tough to not help in the second round,” said Hertl, who finished with five points in 11 playoff games. “Disappointed in myself that I couldn’t help more and find a way to score some goals. Definitely will be hard to look back at the second round.”

Early momentum

Hertl’s first full regular season with the Knights couldn’t have gone better.

He had a hard time acclimating last year after being acquired in a blockbuster trade with the San Jose Sharks in March 2024. It was the first time Hertl changed teams in his career, and he was also recovering from knee surgery at the time.

But he came back to training camp refreshed and looked a lot more comfortable once the 2024-25 season began.

Hertl became the anchor of the best power play in Knights history. They scored on 28.3 percent of their opportunities, the second-best rate in the NHL.

His play also turned a corner once the calendar flipped to 2025.

Hertl scored 21 goals from Jan. 1 to March 23, the second-most in the NHL in that span behind Oilers center Leon Draisaitl, who finished with a league-leading 52.

Hertl’s hot streak ended when he was shoved into the boards by Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Emil Lilleberg on March 23. He missed the Knights’ next nine games. He was back with three games remaining in the regular season but never regained his footing.

“You always want to try and get better. I felt good all season because I was healthy,” Hertl said.

Playoff struggles

Hertl scored in three of the Knights’ first four playoff games before cooling off. His final goal came in Game 4 of the team’s first-round series against the Minnesota Wild, when a pass from captain Mark Stone deflected off his skate and into the net.

It didn’t help that Hertl’s two primary wingers were in and out of the lineup. Right wing Pavel Dorofeyev, who led the Knights with 35 goals in the regular season, missed three games with a pulled muscle. Left wing Brandon Saad missed the final three games of the Oilers series with an undisclosed ailment.

“I think we were trying to find the right line in the middle of the series,” coach Bruce Cassidy said.

Hertl didn’t have the same impact at five-on-five against Edmonton and couldn’t lift the power play up, either. The Knights went 0-for-6 on the man advantage their final three games against the Oilers after starting the series 3-for-7.

“We had some looks, but I don’t know what really happened,” Hertl said. “I don’t know if it was us or them, but we couldn’t find ways to shoot many pucks on the net. Just a lot of passing around and not being ready like before and waiting on what will happen. When we needed it, we couldn’t find a way.”

‘I just have to still be better’

Cassidy said there isn’t much to think about when it comes to Hertl not scoring against the Oilers. Especially because the Knights as a whole couldn’t find the back of the net. They were shut out their final two games against Edmonton.

“This wasn’t a Tomas Hertl thing. This was just a team we weren’t able to break through and score (against),” Cassidy said. “There’s an analysis for the coaching staff on what we did wrong in terms of our structure and game plan against Edmonton and why we couldn’t score. That’s where we’ll start if we see individuals, if they all had their chances and they just couldn’t finish.”

The Knights don’t have a first-round pick this summer because of their trade for Hertl.

He looked like a bargain in the regular season. And he still has four years left on his contract to show he can help the team lift another Stanley Cup as well.

“Sometimes it’s just being confident. With my game, it’s always playing with confidence,” Hertl said. “Don’t think about what happened a couple games ago. I just have to still be better. Don’t think about it and just think about the next shift. When I play my best hockey, it’s when I’m confident.”

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.