Author: Eddie Rivkin

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Hockey Knights in Vegas Episode 75: Daddy’s Back! No, Not Ryan Reaves

Hockey Knights in Vegas is BACK!

Rumors of the demise of the defending Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights are greatly exaggerated! As the wicked winds of the rumor swirled in every direction, the VGK decided it was time to quell the pseudo-critics, flip the switch, and show to the Pacific Division and the rest of the NHL that they would be a problem. 

More than just going 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, more than the emergence of their trade-deadline acquisitions,  the VGK are playing 100% to their identity. Chris and Eddie deep-dive into what’s different, what’s changed, whether there really is a switch, and where it may be located. 

After Eddie’s scathing criticism of Anthony Mantha in Episode 74, the big Frenchman wakes from sleeping-giant status and finds chemistry on a line with (who else?) William Karlsson and Pavel Dorofeyev. 

Episode 75 concludes with a fascinating debate on who the MVP of the VGK is. The boys want your opinion! 
Drop a vote and a comment! 

Are you Team Marchessault or Team Karlsson?

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Hockey Knights in Vegas Episode 74: And Down the Stretch They Come!

Hockey Knights in Vegas is BACK!

With 10 games to go in the regular season, the VGK are in a hard-fought battle to secure a place in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Trying to chase down the the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators and being chased by St Louis and Minnesota, the Knights need to step it up if they want the chance to defend the hardest trophy to win in major sports.

Lindsey, Chris, and Eddie take a deep dive into the VGK’s recent play and what it’ll take to get them into the ost-season.

The “Controversy in the Crease” is finally over as, Logan Thompson has seized the net for the stretch run.

The crew also checks in on the trade-deadline acquisitions of Noah Hanifin and Anthony Mantha and predicts who’s staying and who might be just a rental.

No episode is complete without predictions. How will the VGK’s last 10 games play out? Lindsey and the boys make their predictions.

How do you, our loyal viewers, think the stretch run will play out? Comment below!

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Hockey Knights in Vegas Episode 73: Message Sent and Marchy

Hockey Knights in Vegas is BACK!

It’s the home stretch for the VGK, with 15 games remaining, and the team is still struggling with consistency in both the lineup and their play.

Lindsey, Chris, and Eddie delve into what’s ailing the team and what head coach Bruce Cassidy is doing to fix it. To that end, Cassidy sent shockwaves through the locker room by inserting Alec Martinez and Ben Hutton into the lineup and healthy scratching Zac Whitecloud and Nic Hague in Sunday’s game against New Jersey. The result? One of the best defensive performances by the team in recent memory and a convincing 3-1 victory.

Is that change going to stick?

With eight healthy D men, who are the odd men out? What will the pairs be if the VGK makes the playoffs? And is it time to split up Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb? There are lots of possibilities and speculation and the crew gives their best guesses.

Then it’s on to the scorching-hot issue for the VGK fanbase: Where will Conn Smythe winner and team-lead scorer Jonathan Marchessault play next year? Everyone knows Marchessault is on an expiring contract and has earned a huge raise. But there are concerns.

This is a can’t-miss segment full of hot takes by the crew and predictions that are sure to infuriate VGK fans worldwide!

All this and more on Episode 73 of Hockey Knights in Vegas!

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Hockey Knight in Vegas Episode 72: The Trade Deadline, the Arms Race, and the Stretch Run

Hockey Knights in Vegas is BACK!


Once again, the Mc’s (Kelly McCrimmon and George McPhee) broke the NHL on trade deadline day! This year (in order), Anthony Mantha, Noah Hanifin, and the bombshell that no one saw coming, Thomas Hertl, joined the VGK.

According to Lindsey, Chris, and Eddie, the VGK had already won the trade deadline before the Hertl trade, but seconds before the noon PST deadline, the VGK ended any and all speculation.

After a deep dive on the three new Knights, the gang moves onto the Western Conference arms race. All of the contenders made moves, but … Who improved? Who didn’t? And who needed to do more?

Finally, the episode closes with a breakdown of the VGK’s recent play, their slump, and and analysis of the stretch run. Are the VGK in danger of not making the playoffs? Is it time to push the panic button?

Episode 72 of Hockey Knights in Vegas is fast paced. You don’t want to miss all the hot takes!

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Hockey Knights in Vegas Episode 71: Lumpy Oatmeal, Jack’s Back, and What To Do with $9.5 Million?

Hockey Knights in Vegas is BACK!

The VGK’s play has been pretty inconsistent over the last stretch of games, like the consistency of lumpy oatmeal.

Lindsey Brown is back in the mix and gets right after what’s happening between the pipes for the VGK. How much of the recent issue in goal is on Adin Hill and Logan Thompson? How much of the recent struggles are on the rest of the team’s performance?

The VGK did get some great news up front with Jack Eichel returning to full practice. In the past, that indicated a player was just days away from returning to the lineup. Will that be versus Buffalo on Saturday night, Columbus on Monday, or when Vancouver visits on March 7? Only Jack knows. But when it happens, it will be a huge boost for the VGK.

Episode 71 concludes with a spirited debate on what the Mc’s (George McPhee & Kelly McCrimmon) will do the millions of cap space they are getting for Captain Mark Stone missing the regular season. No one can replace Stone, but a number of intriguing options are available for a team that loves to make a splash at the trade deadline.

All this and more on Hockey Knights in Vegas Episode 71: Lumpy Oatmeal, Jack’s Back, and What To Do with $9.5 Million?

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Hockey Knights in Vegas Episode 70: Oh No, Not Again

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Frustration is setting in with the players, the fanbase, and Chris and Eddie, as the VGK struggle with inconsistent play.

For the first time since the Stanley Cup run of last year, Adin Hill has had multiple subpar games back to back. Is this a fluke or a regression?

But the huge story coming out of Tuesday’s loss to Nashville is the injury to Captain Mark Stone (and the return of Shay Theodore after 35 games on the shelf).

Given the history of the Injury Bug biting the VGK, GM Chris Chapman talks about what he and the VGK should do with potentially $19 million in LTIR cap space.

All this and much more on Episode 70 of Hockey Knights in Vegas!

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Hockey Knights in Vegas Episode 69: The Crosscheck, the Griddy, and Ashali Vise!

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In today’s episode, Chris and Eddie start out with a charged debate over the big story in the NHL this week: the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Morgan Reilly’s vicious crosscheck of the Ottawa Senators’ Ridley Greig for breaking the NHL’s unwritten code and the subsequent five-game suspension. There’s a lot to unwrap and there is no shortage of opinions by the guys.

Unfortunately, former Golden Knight Ryan Reaves makes the episode in a bad way, as his comments on the incident got him destroyed on social media.

And then, out of nowhere, our hosts welcome a very special guest, VGK rinkside reporter Ashali Vise!

What we thought was going to be a quick 15-minute chat turned into nearly 40 minutes of one of the best special-guest segments in all of Hockey Knights in Vegas history.

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Hockey Knights in Vegas Episode 68: The New York Trip, The All-Star Snub, and Winning Streak My Ptooey

Hockey Knights in Vegas is BACK!

Chris and Eddie are back after eating their way through the VGK’s East Coast (and Detroit) trip.

Lots to take away, besides 5 points out of a possible 8. The angriest Coach Cassidy we have seen and the saltiest reply by a player in recent memory. We’re talking to you, 81!

The All-Star game also gets a detailed breakdown, but it takes only about a minute and a half, so you know where that’s

And after what seems like an eternity, the VGK get back in action against their most hated rivals, Edmonton. 16 has a win streak, second-longest in the history of the NHL, and the greatest player on the planet. What did that get them? A big fat “L.”

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Hockey Knights in Vegas Episode 67 — Speaking of Paul Cotter, Dirty Martinis, and Warm-Up Pucks

Hockey Knights in Vegas: Episode 56

It’s just another episode of Hockey Knights in Vegas. Not really!

Chris and Eddie recap the MLK matinee win over Nashville and Captain Mark
Stone hoisting the VGK on his back to the tune of his first regular-season
Hat Trick.

The injury bug is hitting the VGK hard at the moment, with seven regulars out of
the lineup. Panic time? The guys spend some discussion on how well the call-
up kids from Henderson are filling in and then the conversation turns to
second-year forward Paul Cotter.

Eddie has been a fan for a long time and Chris is on board too. At about
the 33-minute mark … THANKS FOR JOINING US, PAUL!

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Hockey Knights in Vegas Episode 66: Mid-Season Report Card

Hockey Knights in Vegas: Episode 56

Before we get to the report cards, Eddie launches a tirade against former Golden Knight Nick Cousins and the NHL Department of Player Safety.

And now on to the grades …

The VGK enter Wednesday’s game vs. Colorado at the halfway point of the season. So, once again, it’s REPORT CARD TIME for the VGK. Chris and Eddie break down all aspects of the VGK through 40 games and you get to see the first- quarter grades as well for comparison.

A shameless beg and the tease of a huge confession by Eddie round out the fast-paced Episode 66 of Hockey Knights in Vegas!