Knights on Ice — Flames Score a Touchdown While Holding VGK to a Safety

It was a strange night in professional sports; I went outside twice just to see if there was a full moon or something.

In the Monday Night Football game, the L.A. Rams and Kansas City Chiefs scored a total of 105 points, third highest point total in NFL history. The final score, 54-51, was more like an NBA halftime total.

Meanwhile, the final score of the VGK game against Calgary looked more like a defensive football contest, ending at 7-2 in favor of Calgary. A touchdown for one team, a safety for the other. Like I said in my last post, Schmidt Happens. Last night, the schmidt that happened leaves me baffled.

This team has a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality from one game to another so far this season. It’s been more than a month since they won more than two games in a row: October 13 vs. Philadelphia, October 16 vs. Buffalo, and October 20 vs. Anaheim. One night’s performance gives you a glimmer of hope that’s quickly dashed the following game.

The fundamental mistake most versions of Jekyll and Hyde make is not understanding that Jekyll wants to do all the things he does as Hyde. He loves being Hyde. He revels in the freedom of being Hyde and it’s only when the consequences catch up to him that his duel personality becomes a problem. Well, tonight Dr. Jekyll allowed the VGK version of Mr. Hyde to take the ice in Calgary. And this is a problem that if not corrected soon will become a major problem with resounding ramifications come April, when only eight teams from the Western Conference qualify for the playoffs. If this continues, the Knights won’t beamong them.

How can a team with almost the same exact lineup score six goals against Edmonton, the most they’ve scored so far this season, then the very next night against Calgary give up five goals in the first period and seven total? The only statistic in which the Knights beat the Flames in the first period was their six shots on net versus Calgary’s five goals scored. The last time Calgary scored five goals in the first period was back in March 1993, more than 25 years ago.

The last time the VGK played in Calgary was the very last game of their inaugural season, April 7, 2018. In that game, Calgary also scored seven goals, while Vegas managed only one.

The Mr. Hyde version of the VGK gave up three power-play goals in last night’s rout. The Dr. Jekyll penalty kill unit was the third best among the 31 teams in the NHL. On the Mr. Hyde version of their own power play last night, they gave up a 2-0 on Subban, who made a nice left-pad save to keep the game at the point to 1-0.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth goals scored by Calgary came on just three shots. The three PPG goals that Calgary scored all came on the first shot of all three power plays. Both of these are almost mathematically impossible to do with a goalie in the net at the NHL level. Calgary scored their seven goals on their first 17 shots. They wound up with a total of 32 shots on Subban.

Vegas was credited with 22 shots and scored on two of them, with goals by Nick Holden (his third, which leads all defensemen in goals scored) and Max Pacioretty’s third-period PPG, his fourth goal of the year. It was Max’s second goal in two games after just two goals in his previous 16 games.

The five goals scored on Vegas in the first period were the most ever in the first period in all of their 124 games this team has played, including all 20 postseason games of last season. They did surrender five goals in the third period on Dec. 1, 2017, vs. Winnipeg in a game they lost 7-4.

These Pacific Division games are crucial, as they’re worth four points within the division. Dr Jekyll absolutely has to show up in their next six games, five of which are within the Pacific Division. If Mr. Hyde continues to arrive in his place, this could be a very long season, though there’ll be no games after April 6, 2019.

My 3 Stars of the Game: Matthew Tkachuk (2 goals including a PPG, 2 assists), Sean Monahan (2 goals including a PPG, 1 assist), Johnny Gaudreau (1 goal, 3 assists).

The next game is tomorrow night, Wednesday November 21, against the Coyotes in Arizona at 6 p.m.

Your comments and opinions are welcome here at 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.