Most who see the title of this will immediately think that I somehow are referencing that the VGK were 58 to 1 to win the Pacific Division or maybe they were 58 to 1 to make the playoffs. Nothing could be further from the truth.
You see, back on October 5, a day before the Vegas Golden Knights played their first game, many respected hockey experts already had them as one of the NHL/s bottom teams skill-wise. The word was the only thing they would be competing for was the number-one pick in the June 2018 draft.
The thought of an expansion team, playing in the desert, in Las Vegas, making the playoffs was just that a thought. Yes, owner Bill Foley predicted the playoffs in 3 three years and the Stanley Cup in six. But that was just a marketing pitch; he was trying to sell 720,000 seats (18,000 times 41 home games.
Deadspin, a sports publication, ran an article right before the season began, asking how many of the original roster members of the VGK would still be with the team when they finally made the playoffs. Their conclusion: maybe one or two. Well, Deadspin, here’s a towel to wipe the egg off your face. Every original player, except Brendan Leipsic (traded to Vancouver) is still with the organization.
Last night was once again a special moment at T-Mobile for multiple reasons. So let me share with you the 58 to 1 reference and what it means.
On October 10, the VGK’s first home game, was just nine days after 58 innocent concert-goers were brutally gunned down just a short walk from T-Mobile Arena. The entire city was paralyzed by this event and the last thing on anyone’s mind was attending a hockey game. But as we know, the only way to deal with horrific events is to rise up, dust yourself off, and keep on moving forward.
Bill Foley and the entire VGK had a situation on their hands. They’d planned this opening night for months, but introducing the team and their vision for NHL hockey in Las Vegas became a distant consideration.
In eight days, they came up with an elaborate and well-thought-out plan, to not only help the city heal, but also to celebrate the real heroes of Las Vegas, who on October 1 stood shoulder to shoulder while the bullets were still flying — the first responders, Metro police officers, EMT workers, doctors, and nurses, met at center ice by the VGK players and coaches and thanked, one by one, personally. The bond that has developed between this team and our city started that night and continues to become stronger and stronger. We may have lost 58 beautiful innocent neighbors on Oct. 1, but we became one on Oct 10th and we have Bill Foley and the entire VGK organization to thank for that.
So, as it would have been written if this were a novel, the memory of the 58 souls who were taken from us that Sunday night were honored at the last home game of the season. A banner with #58 was raised to the rafters of T-Mobile. No player will will ever wear 58 for the VGK.
Bill Foley may raise other banners in the name of his hockey team. He’ll never raise one with more authenticity, meaning, and connection to the city of Las Vegas.
And no, the #1 in the title doesn’t refer to October 1, but in a storybook ending at the last home game of the inaugural season, the VGK were crowned the #1 team in the Pacific Division.
This season has been a deeply emotional experience, even for a long-time hockey fan like myself. The story just kept on getting better, chapter after chapter, like a book you just cannot put down.
The final chapter has yet to be written; much more lays ahead for this team and this city. But even if it ended tonight, you could pick up and reread the book many times. It’s a feel-good story that started with heartbreak, but is sure to bring happy tears to your eyes in the final chapters.
This team has been the backbone of this city and this city has been the backbone of this team. It’s a rare thing to find a marriage like this in a city that has so many distractions.
Excuse me if the details of last night’s game are overshadowed by the emotions of the pre-game ceremony. As for the game, it was, perhaps, the VGK’s most important during the regular season. Vegas had led the Pacific Division since Dec. 23 and even led the entire NHL at one point this season. San Jose entered the game with a record of 8-1-1 in the last 10 games, accumulating 17 points out of a possible 20 and causing the decrease of the double-digit lead that the VGK once owned. If San Jose were to win last night’s game, the 12-point Pacific Division lead that Vegas had for a while would dwindle to a mere 5 points with 3 games left.
Vegas knew the urgency of getting off to a good start, in order to get the crowd into the game and juiced up.
And what a start! Vegas scored on their very first shot of the game, 2:21 in, when Shea Theodore scored with a slap shot from the point. Even though Alex Tuch didn’t receive an assist, he set up a screen that prevented San Jose goalie Martin Jones from seeing the shot.
Shea was highly engaged on the offensive side of the game and had the team’s most shots on net with 6. In the past, I’ve been critical of Theodore’s play, especially on defense. But over the last few games, he has been a solid defenseman, while adding to the offensive side of the puck. So kudos to Shea for becoming a force for this team.
SJ did tie the game up in the first period. In the second, in an innocent play along the left boards, the puck somehow found its way into the net. When Shea Theodore took a long shot from the left wing boards, the puck somehow managed to go between the legs of a Shark, then past Ryan Reaves and another San Jose player. Oscar Lindberg appeared to ever so slightly touch it and change its direction, allowing it to get past Martin Jones. It was Lindberg’s first goal since Dec. 23, which happened to be the night that Vegas took over sole possession of the Pacific Division. So many things aligned just right tonight.
San Jose tied it up again about 7 minutes later. The goal that was challenged by Coach Gallant for goalie interference, but it held up. The last 2 VGK challenges have come for goalie interference with Fleury and they’ve both been denied. In my opinion, both have looked like Fleury was hampered from making a save. Welcome to the NHL 2017-18 version of goaltender interference.
With the score tied at 2-2 entering the 3rd period, it was anyone’s game as both Fleury and Jones were having good nights.
And then the most incredible thing happened. In fact, it was the best goal of the season and not only because it accomplished the unimaginable of the VGK winning the Pacific Division.
Team leading scorer William Karlsson was on the ice, killing off a SJ power play, when he stole the puck in his defensive zone and skated down the left wing at full speed. He swooped in on Martin Jones and proceeded to make a move that qualifies for goal of the year for the entire NHL. Jones was attempting to poke-check the puck away from Karlsson, who in Harlem Globetrotter fashion put the puck in between his legs, then shot it from behind his trailing leg.
I’ve watched this goal many many times and it just amazes me that this player was left unprotected in the expansion draft, because he wasn’t considered good enough to protect. Forty-two goals later, someone made a huge mistake on that decision. With this goal, Karlsson increased his point streak to 4 games and 9 points, with 3G and 6A, not to mention 2 shorthanded goals in back-to-back games. Oh, and lest I repeat myself, it was also the game-winning goal and the one that clinched the Pacific Division for Vegas.
Only five players have scored more goals than Karlsson, while playing on a team in its inaugural season: Blaine Stoughton (56 for the 1979-80 Hartford Whalers), Wayne Gretzky (51 for the 1979-80 Edmonton Oilers), Blair MacDonald (46 for the 1979-80 Oilers), Mike Rogers (44 for the 1979-80 Whalers), and Joe Malone (44 for the 1917-18 Montreal Canadiens).
Other notes. Reilly Smith missed his 13th game in a row and rumor has it that he won’t return for any of Vegas’ last 3 games in the season. Jonathan Marchessault’s 7-game point streak came to an end. David Perron misssed his 3rd game in a row due to an undisclosed injury.
With last night’s win, Vegas has assured themselves of home-ice advantage in at least the first two rounds. Vegas is the 3rd team in the NHL to get to 50 wins this season.
Coach Gallant continues to juggle the 3rd and 4th lines with a line of Lindberg Reaves and Eakin and dropping Carpenter down to the 4th line to play with Noesk and Bellemare.
Vegas played to the largest crowd of the season last night with an attendance of 18,458. Itt’s ironic how the last 2 numbers of the attendance lines up with the 58 souls honored in the pre-game.
The Golden Knights also became the first modern-era expansion team from any of the four North American professional sports leagues to start from scratch and finish first in its division (excluding mergers and all-expansion divisions).
When asked about the VGK fans and winning the Pacific Division in front of them, Alex Tuch said, “The fans deserve it. They’ve been unbelievable all year. They’ve supported us no matter what the outcome. It’s been really fun to play in front of them, and I wouldn’t want to do it any other way.”
VGK are the road for their last three games of the season. The next game is Tuesday vs. Vancouver at 7 p.m.
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