In the words of Gerard Gallant, “It wasn’t a pretty game,” but I’m sure that he, along with the team, will take last night’s win of 3-2 over the New York Islanders in Brooklyn and move on to the next game.
Yes, a lot seemed out of sync in last night’s game. First was the atmosphere in the Barclays Center. Well, maybe I should just come right out and say that there was no atmosphere at all in Brooklyn. Attending games at T-Mobile spoils you, as the VGK fans rock the arena and energize the VGK players game after game.
Second was Vegas taking only 17 shots on goal for the entire 60 minutes.
Third was Vegas actually scoring three goals on those 17 shots, causing Islanders’ goaltender Robin Lehner to register a low .824 save percentage. Vegas started off the season with very few goals scored, while outshooting the opposition game after game, reversed that trend in this game; they were outshot 25-17. But they came out ahead on the scoreboard.
Fourth, Ryan Reaves and William Carrier registered only one hit each for the entire game, which is their usual total every shift. In fact, Carrier leads the league in hits and Reaves is in second place.
Finally, the lights were completely out of sync: They didn’t come back on for the start of the 3rd period, which was delayed for 16 minutes.
In the post-game locker room, I asked William Karlsson if playing at T-Mobile has spoiled him. A big smile came over his face and he answered diplomatically, “Sometimes you have to make your own energy.” Wild Bill did exactly that with his heads-up read of Nick Leddy’s clearing attempt from behind the net, and when Islander forward Anders Lee fell at the blue line, it gave Karlsson the time and space to walk in on Lehner and rip a blistering shot short side past his glove hand. Karlsson’s video is at the end of this blog.
Speaking of lack of energy, the only crowd noise that was prevalent throughout the 60 minutes came from the large contingent of VGK fans in attendance. They made themselves heard as early as the National Anthem when they carried on the T-Mobile tradition of bellowing “KNIGHTS!” after “… gave proof through the …” When this tradition started last season, some people thought it was disrespectful, but now it seems like it would be very unKnight-like not to join in. Since it has carried on to road games, it’s now an official part of the pregame festivities for which Vegas is known. We put on a show, not only on the Strip, but in the other 30 arenas around the NHL.
Jonathan Marchessault scored a power-play goal just 34 seconds into the game and William Karlsson tied the game at 2-2 with just 3:29 left in the second period. In last night’s game, the first line got into sync. The Knights haven’t had all four lines contributing uniformly in their first 32 games. First it was the fourth line pulling all the weight, then the second, but Karlsson’s goal, his 11th of the season, was also his sixth in his last nine games.
If the Smith-Karlsson-Marchessault line steps up, along with the sudden scoring touch of Nosek-Carpenter-Lindberg, this will make it a lot easier, not only for the team, but for Marc-Andre Fleury who seems to have to be near perfect every night. Last night, for example, Fleury made two key saves on Josh Bailey late in the second period with the Islanders leading the game 2-1.If the Islanders scored there and went up 3-1 that late in the second, this game might have had a totally different outcome.
Tomas Nosek’s game-winner came off a miscommunication between defenseman Thomas Hickey and goalie Robin Lehner. Goaltenders have a blind spot at their feet, due to their helmets, and when Hickey couldn’t communicate that the loose puck was at Lehner’s feet, Nosek got to it before Lehner could cover it up and force a faceoff.
Post-game Nosek said, “It wasn’t our best game. It wasn’t our worst game. But it’s great to have a win like that on the road.”
Hickey said, “It’s one of those things that looks simple, but there’re blind spots out there for everyone. Split-second things.”
With last night’s win, Fleury registered his 10th win of his last 12 starts.
Last night’s win was the VGK’s first against the Islanders and completes the circle: Vegas now has at least one victory against every team in the league.
A good start to a four-game road trip, the win improved their record to 18-4-1 in their last 23 games and with 37 points, Vegas jumped from fifth place in the Pacific to a third-place tie with San Jose. The Pacific Division is so close that teams are moving up and down in the standings one and two spots per game. Calgary still leads the Pacific with 40 points; four points less and they wouldn’t even be in a playoff spot. The Pacific Division is a complete scrambled-egg sandwich that in my opinion might not be settled until the last three games of the season.
My 3 Stars of the Game: Jonathan Marchessault (1 PPG and a game-high 5 SOG), William Karlsson (1 goal and a game-high 19:52 TOI among forwards), Tomas Nosek (game-winning goal).
Next game is tomorrow, Dec. 14, vs. the New Jersey Devils at 4 p.m.
Your comments and opinions are welcome here at Las Vegas Advisor or you can contact me directly at [email protected] or visit my Facebook page Vegas Hockey Guy.
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.
Here are the links to the videos from the Barclays Center:
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A comment from a reader
An exact review of the game. Thanks once again.