Yes, the situation remains normal when it comes to the VGK special teams and it’s actually becoming worse. I warned you in my last post after the Dallas Stars game when I wrote this.
Warning. Warning. Warning. The next game is tomorrow against the Philadelphia Flyers at T-Mobile at 7 p.m. Pacific Time. The VGK have to be careful not to look past this game, knowing that the Flyers are in a complete freefall, giving up 17 goals in their last three games, losing their last 10 games in a row, and being -26 in goal differential. Some would call this a “trap game.” The VGK will be huge moneyline favorites, but proceed with caution with your Christmas-gift money as you walk by the sports book.
I hope you took my advice because this was, in fact, a trap game, a term often referenced in a game that looks like a sure winning bet, but it turns out to be nothing of the sort, as the VGK fell to the Flyers by a score of 4-3 in front of 18,011.
Last night the Philadelphia Flyers exposed the anemic and dreadful power play and penalty kill of the VGK. By scoring two power-play goals on basically two power-play chances. The official NHL stats will show the Flyers with three power-play chances, because James Van Riemsdyk took a penalty five seconds after VGK’s Adam Brooks was called for hooking 2:21 into the first period, putting the Flyers on their five-second power-play. On the first Flyers power-play goal, it took them only 17 seconds to score after Mark Stone was called for hooking. Actually, all three of the penalties that Vegas was called for were for hooking, and anyone who knows the game of hockey knows that hooking is a nice way of saying “you got beat, lost your defensive coverage, and most likely stopped moving your feet and used your stick to try to slow or impede the progress of your opponent.”
Over the last two games, the VGK has given up five power-play goals on their last five penalty kills. Prior to this, they were 15-for-16 on the penalty kill over four games
On the flip side, the VGK’s own power play, which has been dreadful, went 0-3 against Dallas and was 0-5 last night before Max Pacioretty scored a power-play goal on a 6-on-4 with Laurent Brossoit on the bench for the extra skater with the team down by two goals and the clock winding down.
Pacioretty, who has been one of the few bright spots in his return to the line-up, scored with 1:45 left in the game to make the score 4-3 and that’s all she wrote, as these two sure and expected points were flushed down one of the washes that run under the Strip.
Pacioretty, who scored two of the three VGK goals last night extended his goal streak to five games and his point streak to seven games (seven goals, four assists) since returning from a fractured foot on Nov. 24.
The Flyers win was their first since Nov.16 against the Calgary Flames. It was also their first win in three games under new head coach Mike Yeo.
Even Carter Hart knew the specialty teams were the difference in this game; his post-game comments made that clear: “I think special teams was the difference in the game,” Hart said. “The power play had two goals and the PK just shut them down all night. That was definitely the difference maker.”
Other game notes and quotes
Pacioretty’s five-game goal streak ties the longest in Golden Knights history, matching William Karlsson and Erik Haula who did it during the 2017-2018 season.
Stone’s assist on Pacioretty’s first goal extended his point streak to seven games with three goals and seven assists.
Another important factor, along with the failure of the specialty teams, that may have played a huge role in the final score was the absence of Chandler Stephenson, who centers the first line and is the team’s leading scorer. Stephenson did not play due to personal reasons. Keegan Kolesar started in Stephenson’s place at first-line center before being replaced by Nicolas Roy in the second period. Keegan, with all due respect, is not a first-line center and he was playing on the #1 power play unit, a spot he cannot fill with consistency.
“When we’re playing our best, we’re a four-line team,” VGK coach Peter DeBoer said. “With Stephenson out, we’re a little inexperienced up the middle, so we’re looking for combinations that can compete with those guys. It was a grind all night.”
“We’ve got to find ways to kill penalties. We’ve got to be committed to blocking shots, winning faceoffs, getting the puck 200 feet,” said captain Mark Stone. “We’ve got to be a little more aggressive. Teams are outworking us.”
The order of the post-game presser, which usually presents the players first and Pete DeBoer last, was reversed last night, as DeBoer came out first. This is pure speculation, but hockey players are creatures of habit and I suspect there was a player-only closed-door meeting after the game, which caused the change in the post-game press conference rotation. They know they’re being outworked and maybe there are currently more passengers and not enough players performing up to their expected levels. A closed-door meeting with players only takes place when this is the situation.
In place of the three stars of the game, I will list the three areas where improvement is needed if they expect to win Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Wild.
1. There must be successful zone entry with the puck on their power play.
2. Establish a forecheck that makes the opposing team work to move the puck out of its defensive zone. This can be accomplished by taking the body and creating hits. They don’t have to be bone crunching hits, just take their time and space away, preventing them from making good outlet passes.
3. Once inside the zone on the power play, get the puck into the dirty areas of the ice. Making nice passes to each other on the perimeter is not going to beat a goaltender at this level of hockey.
Next game is Sunday Dec 12th vs. Minnesota Wild at T-Mobile. Please note the starting time of 6 p.m. Pacific Time.
Your comments and opinions are welcome here at Las Vegas Advisor. Or you may contact me directly at [email protected], on my Facebook page, the Facebook page of Vegas Hockey Guy. or on Twitter @TheRealJoePane. One other note. If you’re reading this blog from Facebook or Twitter and would like to access it earlier in the morning before I share it on social media, it’s usually published by 8 a.m. the morning after a game on LasVegasAdvisor.com. What better way is there to enjoy your morning coffee than reading my take on last night’s VGK game.
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You said it all!! Everyone has to be better!☝️☝️☝️🐼🏒🥅🖤🧡🍁🇨🇦#goKnightsgo #
Judy, do you think it will get better with Steve Spott still run the power-play? I believe a new voice and plan is needed.
The players are doing what they have been coached to do and this is not working. The only bright spot excuse the word SPOT is Max Pacioretty shot from the faceoff circle, it’s a sniper shot that is by goaltenders before than can even move.
Joe P.
My apologies for getting this article up later than normal, there were some web site issues that prevented it from appearing at its normal early morning publication.
Joe P.
Luke Renna responded to my late posting notice
No problem. We appreciate you
Joe , I think coach spot does need to try something new with the knights pp the number of unsuccessful zone entries is alarming
Joseph Madera I could not agree with you anymore. You are SPOT 🙂 on.
Joe P.
On “Hockey Knights in Vegas” you said that the female commentator/expert wasn´t doing a good job.
You are totally right, there.
Sorry to say the female commentators/experts are screaming and talking too much.
As an expert you have too make short comments when there are linechanges and when play is stopped.
The worst example was when TNT broadcasted the game against Dallas. They were one commentator and two experts, Darren Pang (aka the Motormouth) and a woman (can´t remember her name). Through the whole game they were talking about other things than what happened in the game. They were badly biased for the Stars. Their players were fantastic in all different ways you can think of.
At the end of the game when the Golden Knights took over and won they were pretty quiet.
I saw a game with Anaheim and there was a female commentator without an expert at her side.
It was like listening to the alarm that starts every game at the Fortress.
I have nothing against female commentators or experts but they have to learn to use their stomach when they speak.
The male commentators in for example Carolina, Colorado and Boston have a lot to learn from the guys in Vegas, Buffalo and Vancouver to name a few. You don´t have to scream every time someone shoots at goal. It´s like “Cry wolf”!
Calling players by their forenames like the guy in Colorado does thirteen times on a dozen, is like you are close friends with them.
The Vegas commentator has a pleasant voice and “screams softly” when the VGK scores a goal. I wish that he “screams softly” a bit more often. 😀
In Sweden there have been a few female commentators that not been good enough, mostly because they haven´t played hockey or been involved with the sport.
There´s one woman who´s survived but I can´t stand her screaming voice during more than sixty minutes.
On the other two channels that broadcasts hockey, it´s two guys who commentate almost every game and they are screaming when a team skates with the puck over the red line. They call it “excitement”. I call it “tone-deaf”.
When I have to listen to them I turn down the volume, but I have no radio broadcast to listen to.
At the WJC in Canada i have to do just that as these channels are the only to have the rights to broadcast in Sweden.
You and Eddie should try to commentate a game. I think you can do well.
Take one half of the rink each. You are already experts and knows how it should be called.
“The Knights off Ice proudly presents your hosts; Joe & Eddie”
Kenneth, you always crack me up, your points are well taken but you have a way of injecting humor into them also. Yes, my ears are still recovering from trying to watch the game on ESPN + with the female announcer and former NHL player Ray Ferraro. Yes, the VGK play by play guy Dave Goucher is excellent and his voice is raised with just enough excitement that gets your attention, even if you stepped away and in another room.
Joe P.
Kenneth me and Eddie doing play by play, now that is a disaster in the making. We may know the game in our heads but could we get our opinions and thoughts out nonstop for 3 periods and ID all of the other teams’ players. I’m going with a “HARD NO”. But thank you for the confidence you have in both of us.
Joe P.
Joe, listening to you and Eddie would have been fun. Two guys with no filtration just saying what´s on their mind for the moment.
Eva often say that I should be a play by play guy. I can be screaming right out when our beloved players make a bad play.
She tells me that she´s gonna beep me if I don´t stop screaming, especially at Mr Yu No Hu. 🙄 You know who I´m sceaming at, Joe.
Well, Santa´s not coming to me this Christmas either. Wonder why?
To turn the screw a bit more, I could be the sceaming expert when you and Eddie makes the play by play.
That would be hilarious. The both of you could be screaming for a return of Fleury, and I could be the defence attorney of Lehner.
That would satisfy both sides of the fan base. Or not.
I´m not doing anything in the long future except for watching a bus load of hockey every day, so ask me if you change your mind, Joe.
Thanks for the additional information, Joe.
Playing Kolesar at center for the first line mede me a bit confused.
He´s not skilful enough to be a center at the third line under normal circumstances.
My first thought was that DeBoer didn´t take this game seriosly.
Even Roy would be a better choice. Janmark has been playing at center at times in his career. He´s got speed enough to give the first line some flow in their game.
It took DeBoer too long to change to Roy. That took some important time from Stone and Pacioretty to create scoring chances.
The whole team seemed to lack respect for Flyers. I don´t know if Vegas had a bad attitude through the game.
I said to my girlfriend that you were spot on earlier when you said that betting on a VGK win would be waste of money. Sort of, anyway.
It seemed like Patchy didn´t get a pass often enough in the O-zone. On TV it looked like he should have been fed with pucks to shoot, but he didn´t get the pass often enough. On TV you don´t see the whole zone and that´s a bit frustrating as I´m watching the moves of the players who don´t have the puck.
Was there a lot of boeing at the Fortress?
Kenneth there were a lot of time that the fans were booing especially on their repeated failed power-play zone attempts with the puck, that seem to go in and were quickly sent back out to the neutral zone at best and sometimes back 200 feet to the end boards. A very frustrating night all-around not on for the team and the coaching staff but also the fans at T-Mobile who have gotten use to a certain style of play that we are not seeing lately. They were lucky to respond in the Dallas game to get an important victory, not so much last night against the Flyers.
Joe P.
Kenneth I also sat in the press box in disbelief when he not only used Kolesar as the center on the first line, when he had in my opinion had at least 2 better choices for that spot. When I saw DeBoer also use Kolesar on the #1 power-play unit I was in disbelief. You made an excellent point, I bet DeBoer overlooked this game and thought he could try out Kolesar in a spot that normally he would not be suited for.
Joe P.
Lynda Israel wrote
Yup 100%. Sadly, no happy dance. 🤞for Sunday’s game. 🤠❤️🏒
Lynda Israel I was so looking forward to this dance that we were promised. We will take a rain check. 🙂
Joe P.
Judy Billman Grech sent this comment in
Good take, Joe 👍🏼
Dave Barnhill responding to Judy Billman Grech comment
He’s not wrong.
I received this comment and the author would like to remain anonymous. So here it is
Great read today, Joe. What is going to happen with our goaltending? Really miss Fleury because he was amazing. I wanted to send you a private message because you can’t say anything bad about Lehner because then they think you are picking on him.
Very true about the fragile fan base on both sides, those that are ok with the team’s choice in going with Lehner and the other side of the fan base that is livid about moving Flower to Chicago especially for nothing in return.
Joe P.
Anonymous responded
Can you get MAF back? Get on a jet with Foley and do it.
I can tell you this, I’m not being conferred with Mr. Foley on the MAF situation nor am I scheduled to get on a jet with him. I was told last night by someone who knows a little bit more than most about the VGK, that Foley has communicated with MAF about returning to the team for his last 1-year contract as he will be a (UFA) unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. To even actually make this a reality Flower would have to be willing to play for a lot less. Flower did state last year knowing the salary cap situation that the VGK were facing he would be willing to play for a lot less and end his playing career with the VGK. There is always the possibility that after that 1-year contract he would remain with the team in some sort of capacity maybe even as their goaltending coach. Look how the organization took care of Deryk Engelland when he retired.
Joe P.
Anonymous responded
U just gave me chills I will have a welcome back party for Flower.
I’m not sure how much creditably this story has but it’s good to hear that this may be possible. I personally would love to see this happen it would be like a couple you always looked at as being perfect together and then out of nowhere you hear that they broke up. Only to be reunited a year later. A great story if it happens and one, I could write another hockey VGK book about.
Joe P.
Anonymous responded
Coaches and management have to get that this team and fans aren’t the sane with the Flower. His replacement is not likeable or good. LOL sane might be the right word too.
Kolesar does not belong on the PP..He has no offensive skills at all..He is probably the worst passer on the team..And he has no hands at all in front of the net..Its like watching Edward Scissorhands when there is a rebound near him..