The Vegas Golden Knights are back in action tonight, against the Carolina Hurricanes, and so are we. Things have been a little hectic lately, and this story will look to serve as a “picking up where we left off” of sorts to just remind everyone what’s gone on with the Golden Knights lately. In the four games prior to the break, the Golden Knights went 2-2 with the two wins being bookended by two losses.
January 27th – 5-2 loss at Detroit Red Wings
Following a decisive win over the New York Rangers by a score of 5-2, the Golden Knights lost 5-2 to the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. It was a bit of frustrating game in which the team went down 2-0 early, clawed back to tie it, and then proceeded to give up 3 consecutive goals to end the game. Detroit scored 3 goals on 8 shots in the first period, and 2 goals on 6 shots in the third period, although one was an empty-netter. Logan Thompson stood tall in the second stopping all 15 shots faced, but overall it was a game in which the Red Wings scored more than they should have, and the Golden Knights couldn’t overcome it.
February 6th – 3-1 win vs. Edmonton Oilers
The Golden Knights rebounded from a loss against the Red Wings with a solid performance against the Oilers that featured an exceptional goaltending performance by Adin Hill, similar to how he played against Edmonton in the playoffs. Connor McDavid opened the scoring with a beauty of a short-handed goal 4:35 into the game, and at that point there was a chance it looked like it was going to be a rough night.
Fortunately for Vegas, that was the only goal of the game Edmonton scored, and Hill carried them the rest of the way stopping every other shot he faced. Nicolas Roy picked up his 10th goal of the season with under 2 minutes left in the period, and both sides remained tied at 1 during the second. Chandler Stephenson broke the tie 1:24 into the third, and the team hunkered down with a one-goal lead that was extended to two when William Karlsson added an empty netter with 33 seconds left in the game.
February 8th – 3-2 win at Arizona Coyotes
Vegas followed up their win against the Oilers with another win against the Coyotes. The Golden Knights got off to an amazing start with two goals in the first 1:17 of the game. Jonathan Marchessault picked up his 26th goal of the season just 19 seconds into the game, and 58 seconds later Nicolas Hague made it 2-0. Jason Zucker got one back for the Coyotes just under 3 minutes later, and 2 minutes and 10 seconds after that Chandler Stephenson made it 3-1.
The second period featured no scoring, and Clayton Keller scored what would be the final goal of the game 3:40 into the third. Adin Hill turned in another stellar performance in which he stopped 20 of 22, and essentially won them the game since the Golden Knights offense slowed down after a hot start. It was a pretty low event game overall, and the team picked up another much needed two points.
February 12th – 5-3 loss vs Minnesota Wild
This Monday’s game vs. the Wild was a rough one for the Golden Knights, and one of the most lopsided in recent memory despite the score. Jonathan Marchessault, once again, scored within the first 30 seconds of the game, and scored his 27th of the season at 0:22 of the first. Mats Zuccarello evened things up on the power play at 10:48, and 1:21 later Joel Eriksson Ek made it 2-1. Michael Amadio made it 2-2 with a power play goal with a few minutes left in the period, and things stayed that way until the final frame.
Marco Rossi scored 6:28 into the third to make it 3-2, and 1:01 later Mat Boldy extended the lead to 4-2. Mark Stone answered with a goal 2:11 later to get Vegas within a goal, and Eriksson Ek added the dagger at 19:38 potting one into the empty net. It was a rare off night in which he stopped 24 of 28, and 3 of the goals against came at even strength. That said, the Wild overwhelmed the Golden Knights and the underlying numbers reflect that.
All in all, the Golden Knights now sit second in the Pacific division, and appear to be on a collision course with the Edmonton Oilers for the playoffs.
A lot can certainly change, but the Canucks are running away right now and the Los Angeles Kings are in a bit of a rut after getting off to an amazing start. The Carolina Hurricanes are second in the division and are one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. Tonight will provide a good test for a Golden Knights team that are still missing some key players, and starts a stretch in which the team will play 5 games in 8 days.