Knights on Ice — Don’t Look Now, but These Last 4 Points Are Huge

What a difference back-to-back wins and 4 points can make in the log jam in the Pacific Division.

Besides the VGK leapfrogging from a wild-card playoff spot with last night’s 3-0 victory over the Nashville Predators into 2nd place, the shutout for Fleury could not have come at a better time. His confidence was clearly shaken since the untimely passing of his father, who was the rock behind the Flower his entire life — from Nov. 24, 1984, in Sorel, Canada, till his time in Pittsburgh and his final team, the Vegas Golden Knights. Fleury struggled in his last 5 games, going 1-3-1 and giving up more goals than expected.

Actually, since his last shutout on Nov. 17 when Fleury and the VGK beat Calgary by a score of 6-0 at T-Mobile, Fleury has played in 19 games and has given up 60 goals, an average of 3.16 goals per game. His lifetime goals against average in 834 NHL games is 2.57. In his first year with the VGK, he had a GAA of 2.24 and 2.51 in his second. So you can see there has been a lot on his mind over the last 2-1/2 months.

The decision to pass on the All-Star Game and have the luxury of the off week seems to have gotten Fleury back on track. And there’s a different feel to the entire team in the last 2 games. I know it’s a small window, but it’s the only window we have to look through right now. Man for man, the Knights know they cost Gallant his job and there’s no turning back from that.

As much as it burns you having not 1 but 2 former Shark coaches standing behind the bench, you need to look past that and see that new head coach Peter DeBoer would love nothing more than to take the VGK as deep as this team can go. It will not only be a feather in his hat, but it will soften the blow of losing the coach that all of Las Vegas loved. Coaches are hired to be fired; it’s just the nature of the business. And right now, PDB has the attention of the players and their focus is razor sharp. They held Nashville to just 2 shots in the first period and their second shot didn’t come until just 2 seconds remained.

The penalty-killing unit, best in the league early on, had hit a wall under Gallant. Over the break, PDB worked on the penalty kill and last night, all five of Nashville’s power plays were stifled. If it hadn’t been for Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne, this would have been a blowout. Fleury had a relatively easy night, facing only 19 shots over 60 minutes, while Rinne was peppered with 39.

Vegas was also held scoreless on their 4 power-play attempts. Deryk Engelland was given a seat in the press box and replaced by Zach Whitecloud, who was called up for this game. Whitecloud saw 13:34 minutes of ice time and was a respectable +1 in a low-scoring game; Reilly Smith sent the 3rd goal into an empty net. Chandler Stephenson and Nicolas Roy scored the other VGK goals. Jon Merrill, who had a tough night in Carolina, somewhat redeemed himself with a +2 and over 16 minutes of ice time.

In hockey terms, Whitecloud was “called up for a cup of coffee”; he was sent back to the Chicago Wolves immediately after the game. Strange. But I’m sure there was a reason that this was done. I have no clue, other than the coaching staff and upper management were sending a message that they’re not afraid to go to their young players, even in a crunch time like now. With just 28 games left in the season, playoff spots are up for grabs.

Max Pacioretty, who isn’t shy about shooting the puck from just about anywhere, had a game-high 7 shots on goal. Shea Theodore had 6. Theodore is establishing himself as the VGK’s top defenseman, the title once held by Nate Schmidt. Nate has been hampered by an early-season injury and that loss of time has hurt him going forward. Is his mobility still limited?

Alex Tuch scored in Carolina and was very visible on the offensive side of the puck, which hasn’t been the case for him. Like Schmidt, he has had some down time due to injuries and seems to be just now returning to the form he exhibited in his first 2 seasons here.

Speaking of injuries, please note that this resurgence has happened without Karlsson and Glass as the lineup’s 2 centers. Their return will spell trouble for Cody Eakin, who continues to be invisible for the most part. In 14:17 of ice time, Eakin had 1 shot on goal. Right now, Roy is making a case for himself to be recalled after the trade deadline, which indicates that either Karlsson or Glass is set to return to the lineup. The problem is if the team is going to move Eakin on Feb. 24 or sooner, it will be easier if he’s playing, as opposed to sitting in the press box. This is why coaches and general managers get paid a lot of money. Tough decision to send Roy down when he has earned his ice time.

You may have been cheated out of a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts since the Fleury shutout happened on the road, but you may not be aware of the promotion at Buffalo Wild Wings. When the Golden Knights win on the road, fans in Vegas can get a free appetizer at a participating Buffalo Wild Wings in Las Vegas with a food purchase of $10 or more. This promotion starts one hour after the conclusion of Vegas Golden Knights road wins and ends two days after the road victory. Not bad: A mere road win kicks this promo into gear, so if you’re in the mood for some wings, take advantage of the free appetizer.

Fleury’s shutout was the 59^th of his career. It could not have come at a better time for the Flower and the entire organization, who are looking for consistency in these last 28 games.

My 3 stars of the Game: Chandler Stephenson (the opening goal and eventual game winner), Marc-André Fleury (19 saves and the shutout), Nicholas Roy (1G and a trip back to Chicago, all because of trying to move Eakin)

The next game is Tuesday Feb. 4 vs. Tampa Bay at 4 p.m.

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