Sometime round about the 1580s, the phrase “in the nick” or “in the very nick” began to mean the critical moment, the exact instant, at which something has to take place. The idea seems to have been that a nick was a narrow and precise marker, so that if something was in the nick, it was precisely where it should be.
And last night, Alex Tuch helped send Vegas to a dramatic come-from-behind 4-3 overtime victory over the Ottawa Senators.
Well, actually, Jonathan Marchessault scored in overtime on a penalty shot that had all 18,089 fans on their feet holding their breath as he skated in on Craig Anderson. It was Marchy’s first-ever penalty shot. (A penalty shot is awarded to a team that loses a clear scoring opportunity on a breakaway due to a foul committed by an opposing player. A player from that team on offense shoots against the goaltender without opposition from any defending players.)
But it was Tuch who, in the nick of time with Vegas trailing 2-0, started this dramatic comeback. The play started deep in the VGK defensive zone, where both Tuch and Eric Haula were backchecking. Haula pushed the puck up to Tuch on the right boards and Alex skated the entire length of the ice, first powering past Ottawa’s defenseman Maxime Lajoie, then forward Matt Duchene, whom he left in the dust. He then skated across the front of the net, forcing Ottawa’s goaltender Craig Anderson to slide across with him. The movement by Anderson caused his pads to separate and Tuch, who now had the puck on his backhand, slipped it through the pads.
The VGK needed that goal exactly at that time in a very bad way. They were down 2-0 and it appeared that they couldn’t beat Anderson, no matter how many shots they fired on him.
And they fired shot after shot after futile shot. They set a team record with the most shots ever taken: 53 on net. Their previous record for shots on net was back on Oct. 21, 2017, vs. St Louis where they had 49 total shots. In that game, William Karlsson scored in overtime on the team’s 49th shot with just 23.8 seconds remaining for the 3-2 win. Las Vegas is the Entertainment Capital of the World and your Vegas Golden Knights sure make things entertaining.
But before the dramatic penalty-shot game-winning goal in overtime by Marchy, there was more of Tuch’s extraordinary timing. Ottawa had just regained the lead after the VGK stormed back from the two-goal deficit with the goals by Tuch — and the newest Knights’ scoring machine, Ryan “Revo” Reaves, who now has three goals in 11 games. Reaves’ tying goal was on a power play, his first-ever PPG, which evened up the score at 2-2 with just 1:39 left in the second period.
Ottawa’s third goal, scored by Ryan Dringel 7:49 into the third period, put them back into the lead. Alex “In the Nick” Tuch just jumped over the boards and in a mere 28 seconds, he scored his second goal of the game, tying it again at 3-3 and setting the stage for the dramatic ending.
The win, which helped salvage the home stand with seven points out of a possible 10, came at a cost. Cody Eakin took a high hit to the head from Ottawa’s Mark Borowiecki, making him the second player in the last two games to go out with an injury (Max Pacioretty was a scratch from the lineup with an upper-body injury he sustained Friday against Tampa Bay).
Jon Merrill immediately came to the defense of the high hit on Eakin and challenged Borowiecki to a fight. I’ve looked back and I can’t find a previous fighting major in Merrill’s entire NHL career. That says a lot about this team and how close they are. Merrill was clearly overmatched in the fight, but it was his willingness to stand up for his teammate that was noticed by everyone on the team and at T-Mobile. Merrill has a shiner this morning, but it’s a badge of honor among this team.
Post-game, Coach Gallant said he didn’t think Borowiecki was intending to hurt Eakin. I don’t believe Gallant knew that Borowiecki was just coming off of a one-game suspension for elbowing a Boston Bruin player in the head just five days ago.
The power play still isn’t right, even though Revo’s goal was on the power play. The VGK went one for five last night and have a less than stellar four PPG in 37 attempts so far through 11 games.
Fleury wasn’t busy, facing only 22 shots and surrendering three goals, but he did make a couple of key saves, keeping the game close enough for the VGK to have a shot of stealing two points and did they ever! Anderson was downright spectacular in net for Ottawa.
My 3 Stars of the Game: Alex Tuch (2 goals), Craig Anderson (49 saves), and Ryan “Revo” Reaves (a PPG and the most consistent player on this home stand)
There was whisper or two in the press box about Revo’s penalty last game vs. Tampa, but anyone watching Revo play this year is seeing that he has transformed his game dramatically and is a valuable asset to the VGK. The VGK’s fourth line may be the best in the league and Revo has a ton to do with that. He’s playing so well, he’s earned time on the power play — and last night he cashed a winning ticket at the window.
The VGK’s next game is tomorrow against the Predators in Nashville at 5 p.m. It’s a nationally broadcast game on NBC Sports network.
Your comments and opinions are welcome here on Las Vegas Advisor or you can contact me directly at [email protected]
And for the most comprehensive coverage of the Vegas Golden Knights’ historic inaugural season, take a look at our book Vegas Golden Knights—How a First-Year Expansion Team Healed Las Vegas and Shocked the Hockey World.
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