The Vegas Golden Knights capped off their six-game east coast road trip with a disappointing effort in a 3-2 loss versus the Montreal Canadiens to finish with a record of just 1-4-1.
For our full recap you can click here, but these are three takeaways from Tuesday’s game.
Maxime Lagace is not the goalie to steal you games
It is unfair to put this loss on Lagace. While not terrific, he was solid. The Golden Knights came out lethargic. The relentless forechecking of the Golden Knights was nowhere to be found for the first 30 minutes of this game and Lagace kept the score 3-1 giving his team a chance to win.
What he did not do, and has not done, is steal a game. This was a game that, had their goalie not allowed one of the three goals, could have resulted in a victory for the Golden Knights. Lagace is the kind of goalie who will keep your team in games, but he has yet to show the ability to win one for his team like Marc-Andre Fleury, Malcolm Subban, or Oscar Dansk did for the team.
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare has some nifty dangles for a fourth liner
Bellemare goal. That’s a beauty! #VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/ZBMIpV6uvn
— Knights Hockey Bible (@KnightsBible) November 8, 2017
He may also be crazy.
Bellemare follows his goal up by staring death in the face and blocking a Weber shot. pic.twitter.com/1VHcCb34Ld
— EK65 (@nhlsensandstuff) November 8, 2017
Hockey is a 60-minute game for a reason
For the second consecutive night, the Golden Knights allowed their opponents to come out hot, run the opening period, and establish a multi-goal lead.
On Monday against the Toronto Maple Leafs they managed to make a comeback. They were not as lucky Tuesday against the Canadiens.
Simply stated, the Golden Knights didn’t show up for the first period and a half of the game and, in failing to do so, put themselves in a deep hole they were unable to pull themselves out of. The Golden Knights work hard, perhaps harder than most teams, and they employ a relentless forechecking style that allows them to cause major headaches for their opponents. This is their identity and it works for them.
What they don’t have a lot of right now is the game-breaking talent that might allow for them to win games they fall behind in regularly. If Vegas is to contend this season, for better or worse, it cannot continue to come out as flat as they have in their last two games.