After their last game at T-Mobile against Boston, Jonathan Marchessault said, “Enough is enough.” Last night Pete DeBoer also had enough, but didn’t say anything out loud. Instead, he spoke to the team through his actions: He pulled out his blender and whipped up new line combinations. Truthfully, the old servings weren’t good for the pallet.
In the VGK’s previous 8 games, they scored on average 1.8 goals per game. That’s clearly not enough to win in the NHL, especially when your starting goaltender is struggling to make saves.
DeBoer preaches that you need to score at least 3 goals to win and last night he needed 5 to beat the pesky Anaheim Ducks by a final score of 5-4 at the Honda Center.
He broke up the first line of Eichel-Stephenson-Dadonov and moved Nicolas Roy up. He kept the Misfit line together, sent Stephenson down to center the 4th line, and added Michael Amadio to replace Brett Howden, who joined the never-ending list of injured players that also now includes Brayden McNabb. McNabb, the last VGK player who had played in every game this season, left Thursday’s game late in the 2nd period and hasn’t returned.
Michael Amadio responded to the opportunity by having a career-first 3-point game with 1G and 2A. Nicholas Roy also responded to playing higher in the lineup with 2 goals, also a first. Roy hadn’t scored a goal in his previous 15 games. Dadonov could have felt the pressure of being the next player removed from the top line, as he seemed much more engaged last night and even picked up his first point in the last 15 games, or he benefited from Roy’s insertion into his line.
The VGK would be world champions if they just played the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks. Vegas has beaten the Ducks 20 times in their 24-game history and is an impressive 8-2-2 at the Honda Center. The VGK have also scored 3+ goals in 21 of the 24 games these 2 teams have played since Vegas entered the league in the 2017-18 season.
The Misfit line, which DeBoer didn’t throw into the blender last night, is the only line that has been somewhat consistent in a season of inconsistency. Jonathan Marchessault has been consistent this entire season; he leads the team in scoring with 23 goals. He’s the only VGK who’s played in all 24 games against Anaheim, recording 19 points (8G, 11A).
Marchessault scored just 18 seconds into the 2nd period, giving the VGK the first lead in the game. It was Marchy’s 3rd goal in the last 4 games and it increased his point streak to 4 games (3G, 2A).
One other victim of the DeBoer blender was Robin Lehner, who most likely wouldn’t have played anyway, considering it was a back-to-back. Laurent Brossoit got the start, which was a little shaky when Jacob Silverberg beat him on a bad-angle goal just 4 minutes into the game.
When a team is struggling to score, your goaltender needs to make saves, especially on shots from bad angles. LB was saved just 2 minutes after Silverberg scored, when Ben Hutton took a tape-to-tape pass from Michael Amadio 20 feet in front of Anaheim goaltender John Gibson. Hutton used the Duck defenseman as a screen and fired a puck that Gibson didn’t see when it left his stick. That tied the game at 1-1 after 20 minutes.
Just 18 seconds into the 2nd period, William Karlsson was behind the net and fed Marchessault a pass from behind Gibson’s right shoulder. Karlsson faked like he was coming out toward the front of the net, which froze the defenseman and allowed Marchessault plenty of time and space to beat Gibson for the 2-1 VGK lead. Anaheim responded to tie the game at 2-2 before Vegas scored 3 straight goals, 2 by Nicolas Roy, basically 3 minutes apart, for 4 in the 2nd period and a 5-2 lead after 40 minutes.
Then Anaheim scored 2 power-play goals to close the gap to just 1 goal. Vegas held on to win the division game and the very important 2 points; Vegas climbs back into the final playoff spot in the Pacific.
But this is far from over. The next 7 games will be crucial to their playoff hopes. They picked up 2 of the 11 points that I believe they will need to survive the storm they’re currently in.
The VGK power play continues to struggle, going 0-4 last night and 0-25 on the road. I’m not sure if Steve Spott reads my posts, but Keegan Kolesar didn’t have any PP time last night as I suggested and Dadonov’s time was limited. Spott played the big boys of the Misfit line, along with Eichel and Pietrangelo, and Theodore on the point. He also gave Roy Stephenson, Amadio, and Carrier a little time on the PP. I give credit where credit is due, so making these adjustments is a good thing, because Kolesar on the PP was just not working.
Other game notes and quotes.
“At this time of the year, it’s very important to get as many points as we can,” Roy said. “We needed to bounce back from last game, and we were able to do that.”
“It was nice, some guys got off some streaks, like Nick Roy,” Coach DeBoer said. “He’d been snakebit for a while. We were due, some of those guys were due, and they went to the right places in order to score.”
Golden Knights forward Jake Leschyshyn played 9:47 in his first game since Jan. 11. He was recalled from Henderson of the American Hockey League on Friday.
My 3 stars of the game: Nicolas Roy (2G, the first 2-goal game in his career), Michael Amadio (1G, 2A, his first 3-point career game), Ben Hutton (1G, 3 SOG, and a solid 13:41 of ice time)
Next up is another pivotal game with 2 valuable points on the line vs. Ottawa on Sunday March 6 at 5 p.m.
Your comments and opinions are welcome here at Las Vegas Advisor or you may contact me directly at [email protected] or on my Facebook page or the Facebook page of Vegas Hockey Guy or on Twitter @TheRealJoePane.
Hockey Knights in Vegas recently sat down with VGK player Deryk Engelland. You can listen in on our chat with Deryk about his time with the VGK, along with who he believes is the best player he played with and against and what he sees going forward for this year’s team at this link below or right here on Las Vegas Advisor.
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.
Ben Hutton opening goal
Nicolas Roy first goal
The bad angle that beat Brossoit
Marchessault goal from Karlsson
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Mike Guido sent this in
Yes, he did! The Ducks are not the same old Ducks as before. They are legit and we played them well. They just beat Boston before Boston throttled us. After we got smashed by Calgary, we went down hill a bit but still we weren’t playing that bad. We shut down Colorado until the 3rd. Before Landesgog open it up on great shot. We really need to heal and fast. There is big difference without Stone in. We need him. Martinez has been traveling with the team and they kept saying he’s coming back soon. When is that? Now McNabb out. We need defensemen. Martinez has been cleared contact weeks ago. Who knows what’s wrong with Patches. I don’t believe on Gods green earth they will trade Smith. That would really screw up our best line.
Mike Guido trading Smith makes sense if Stone and Pacioretty will be back before the playoffs at least 2 contracts will have to be moved. Now if they will not return until the playoffs then maybe Reilly Smith stays and then they lose him as a UFA for nothing in return. If they trade him, they cannot take a contract back just a draft pick or a prospect. It’s a tough decision because that line is playing well. But the ultimate goal is the Cup so they may gamble and keep him for the run to the Cup and then lose him for ZILCH.
Joe P.
Mike Guido responded
Joe Pane well on the other end if we trade him there could be a simple chance, we will not make the playoffs. He is huge part, and we could possibly resign him.
Mike Guido not with the current Salary Cap and contracts they have. He just doesn’t fit unless moves are made in the off season.
Joe P.
Mike Guido responded
Joe Pane also patches and stone have been injured all season along with Martinez
Mike Guido yes, they have and that’s the only reason the Eichel is able to play without Vegas trading anyone away at this point.
Joe P.
Crazee Chaingang suggested that it wasn’t PDB
Uuuuhhh not PDB. It was my bengay.
Crazee
I knew I recognized that smell. Thought there was something wrong with my TV, like a sparking wire or frayed electric cord.
Joe P.
Thank you for your insight.
Ken thank you for taking the time to not only read my articles but also sending in your opinions and comments that’s greatly appreciated.
Joe P.
Bill Dickerson wrote this
I am glad they won, but ducks and sharks don’t match up well. At this point a win is a win though cause you need to be in to worry about how they need to play to win the cup
Bill Dickerson 2 points are 2 points no matter who you play. And at this particular moment we cannot be picky where they come from.
Joe P.
Brian Mishefske sent this opinion in
Joe, I have nothing to add, and you nailed this 100% brother. Have a great weekend.
Brian Mishefske let’s hope that the VGK nail down at least 9 more points of the remaining 12 they will face. I said they needed 11 of 14 they got the first 2 last night. You as well enjoy the weekend GKG
Joe P.
Carmella Kyriakakis has this opinion on the current state for the VGK
I hate to be a “Debbie Downer” but at this point GK is not a team to win a 🏆. And I don’t foresee much improvement in the future. The team has lost something. Not long ago their games were so excited to watch and now ….. something is missing and don’t know what it is???? My opinion 🤔
At this point you are correct but there is still a lot of games to play and Eichel timing will improve even if it’s pretty good as we speak. Stone, Pacioretty and Martinez will hopefully return to the lineup. If all of this happens there is no telling what the future holds for this team, But the goaltending must get better, and the PP has nowhere else to go then up. So, keep Debbie Downer under a blanket until there is no choice but to release her.
Joe P
Laurent Brossoit has to do better than letting in 4 goals on 24 shots..Giving up 4 goals will lead to many losses..At least we scored 5 last night..The worst team GAA in the NHL is Montreal at 3.82 ..Look where they are in the standings..The 11 worst teams for Goals Against are all non playoff teams as of right now..
Edward as I just wrote to Carmella who was ready to release “Debby Downer” out from underneath her blanket the goaltending MUST get better along with the power play because if it doesn’t even if they make the playoffs they will not be going deep as specialty teams and goaltending wins best of 7 series most of the time.
Joe P.
Christopher Couch sent this opinion in
I’m glad they shook up the lines. If it’s not working, do something different.
I personally feel the misfit line should be the 1st line until Patches and Stone are back.
Time to put egos aside and find the right combo of line mates.
Christopher Couch So, true 81-71-19 have been steady as you could ask for. But keep in mind with Eichel on the ice opposing teams are now forced to make a decision as to who to put their checking line out against. It adds another element to the VGK game.
Joe P.
Ed Williams said this about Brossoit
Some weak goals by LB last night.
Brian Mishefske responded to Ed
Ed Williams the first goal indeed was just lazy bad positioning, the long slapshot thru traffic and being screened is the hardest save. Depth of being outside the crease and vision which Brossoit has no control over. He played solid enough for the win and honestly that is what matters.
Ed Williams answered back
That long slapper he was screened a little. But it wasn’t a full screen. He got beat up high a couple of times while sliding around on his knees. The last goal by ANA he would stop 9 out of 10 times. There’s only one goalie who can get away with sliding around on his knees and that is Shesterkin..He’s so damn quick side to side.
Brian Mishefske
Ed Williams indeed him and Vassey are just in a class of their own. It’s hard watching on tv to determine screens or even a tip sometimes.
Brian and Ed, I have a question for you both. At this point of the season who would you want in the net for your team. Between Vassy and Shesterkin?
Joe P.
Ed Williams added this to the conversation on the goaltenders in question
Brian Mishefske Igor is amazing to watch. It’s almost like his pads have skates on them the way he goes side to side. His save % is. 940.. That’s unheard of. That’s Hasek type numbers. Vassey steals games for TV. He has an amazing glove.
Brian Mishefske answered my question as to who he would pick to be in the nets for his team
Joe Pane man that is a brilliant question and Vassey has proven himself in the playoffs and has 2 shiny cups! But Shesterkin is the most complete make up I have ever seen in 46 years of watching. My answer would be Vassey just because he’s been there done that, but I think Shesterkin has a higher upside and is showing the league he’s the real deal. Great question!!
Brian Mishefske continues the goaltending conversation
Ed Williams I’m 6’ and 185lbs and when I played goalie everyone thought I was too big and the size of these guys now! Holy crap 😂 Hasek had the best side to side I have seen but yes 940%! That’s video game numbers, the league is full of good goalies, but the great ones are so rare. Roy, Brodeur and Hasek where my inspirations.
Ed Williams responded
Brian Mishefske The average NHL goalie is 6′ 2″. The days of Rogie Vachon sized goalie are gone. My brother was about the same size as you when he played goal back in Upstate NY. We thought he was big at the time. He went to goalie school in Guelph, Ontario and he was one of the bigger goalies there too. That was back in the late 70s.
Brian Mishefske answered Ed
Ed Williams, I started in 76 at 5 and besides my Navy career this was my absolute highlight of my life. I even played against Patrick Roy in tournaments in Quebec City. What a memorable experience and I only wish it would have been a career for me, 8 knees surgeries later I’m happy to just walk. Yeah 6’2” in the 70’s you were a monster indeed.
Ed Williams answered my question about Vassey or Shesterkin
Joe Pane I would take Igor right not. He has won games on his own for the NYC. His career record is either 9-0 or 10-0 when he gets more than 40 shots in a game. He loves the work. He’s a contender for the Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy this year. There isn’t a better stick handler in net than Igor. The thing about Vassey is he has been there and is a proven winner.
Ed Williams added to the conversation
Brian Mishefske, I loved watching Roy and Hasek play. Hasek was an acrobat back there. Brodeur had a lot of good defensemen in front of his. There were games when he would only get 10-15 shots. When Lemaire coached the Devils a lot of their games were a snooze fest. They played the Neutral Zone Trap, and it was boring as hell to watch.
Inconsistency, lack of chemistry and sporadic periods of a lack of passion to be first to the puck are the symptoms. What’s the diagnosis? Injuries, obviously, is a major problem and the VGK has had more than its share of them this season. That’s the number one issue. When you dig deeper you have to admit that losing the Vezina winning HOFer and going with Lehner/Brossoit has not turned out as planned. I think the hope was that the goaltending would be at least as good, but it certainly has not. On average, the VGK has to score at least 4 or more goals against the better teams in this league. To lay the problem solely on the backs of goaltending is certainly unfair, as you have to take into account the fact that Martinez has been out for most of the year. A solid defender, the VGK misses him blocking shots!
As a Season Ticket Holder (11, Row M, 15&16) the injuries to Stone and Pacioretty are also contributing factors to the VGK problems this season. Stone’s back injury, in particular, could be just the start of a decline depending on the severity. McCrimmon has rolled the dice to bring in some top players who are over 30, and at this point we are not seeing the cost benefit with the team slipping in terms of NHL ranking and Wins/Losses. Eichel is a young guy and obviously is a super star, but that all needs to be weighed against the price tag and potential roster impacts to the team as some of the higher priced players come off of LTIR.
When I step back away from the current week and season and take an overall look at this team from year 1 to present there are several major concerns I have.
The VGK went from a team of misfits who played exciting tilt the ice hockey for 60 minutes. The passion, chemistry and the feeling that they were great was never questioned. Even when the VGK was playing poorly at times, the fan base had faith in Gallant and the Misfits of the Round Table! But then, the “not-a-major” happened. The fan base, I can tell you, was quite upset. We weren’t upset with the team, Fleury or Gallant. We weren’t upset with Eakin either. We were upset that this bad call led to a devastating loss. Apparently the VGK front office didn’t see it that way. Why didn’t Gallant call a timeout? How could the Knights give up 4 goals during that major? Sadly, the “not-a-major” was the beginning of the end for Gallant and the Misfits. When the Misfits fell into a little bit of a funk after Fleury’s Dad passed away the VGK FO apparently lost faith in its coach and its goaltender. I’ve seen it in the military during my 30 year career. Leadership knee-jerking a response to an incident is the standard approach to problems.
Ever since the “not-a-major” we’ve seen knee jerk after knee jerk after knee jerk with the front office trying to make moves to buy a Stanley Cup. Last year, I didn’t think the VGK could get passed the 2nd round but they did. Montreal should have been an easy series, but it wasn’t. The team simply fell flat for some reason.
There are 2 major milestones in the Golden Knights short history. The first was the “not-a-major” leading to a cleaning house of the coaching staff and roster. The second was acquisition of Robin Lehner and the eventual loss to Montreal last season. The Billy Buckner moment by Marc Andre’ Fleury likely sealed his fate.
That Montreal loss was basically the last straw for the VGK FO and led to the team trading away players who, in my opinion, brought the passion, excitement and energy needed to the ice (Fleury, Reaves, and Schmidt). The current edition of Golden Knights is beginning to look like a poor replica of Edmonton. Eichel may be the only forward on the current VGK roster who could play on the Oilers top line. The team is now in CAP hell, has mediocre goaltending, and is a team that is regressing. The fanbase is sitting here mouth agape waiting on what the next major moves McCrimmon may make by the trade deadline.
Like a bad chess player, McCrimmon may be just a few more moves away from being checkmated.
In the meantime, former MisFits (Gallant, Haula, Nosek, Reaves, and others) are all having good years elsewhere. Unlike Lehner, teams are also looking to trade with Chicago for Fleury’s services for a Cup run. Could Fleury wind up in Colorado, Edmonton, or even Los Angeles? Certainly the Capitals are likely in talks.
Nicholas Roop
Vegas isn’t picking up a goalie so you might as well give up on that wish. Goaltending isn’t the problem anyway. If this team healthy, played and scored the way they are supposed to goalies having off nights wouldn’t be a conversation.
Brian Mishefske
Ed Williams yep would you love to be a coach and you had both those horses in your stable. Wow we are watching HOF players daily and both are getting better. If Fleury hangs it up this year which I am believing will be the case, it was a pleasure watching another brilliant net minder. Roy, Brodeur and Hasek I was lucky to watch their whole career and now Fleury.
Ed Williams answered
Being a Ranger fan, I got to watch King Henrik for years too. If I had to pick one, I would take Hasek.
Brian Mishefske added this
Ed Williams to me Roy was the best I have ever seen his only problem was the 6” between his ears and Hasek was indeed a inventive and acrobat. And yes the Devils where very boring but it worked.
Ed Williams responded
Brian Mishefske Roy could lose it at any moment. Hasek was plain fun to watch.
Brian Mishefske added this
Ed Williams indeed brother 😂
Richard Santomauro sent this into the Vegas Hockey Guy Facebook Page
inconsistency, lack of chemistry and sporadic periods of a lack of passion to be first to the puck are the symptoms. What’s the diagnosis? Injuries, obviously, is a major problem and the VGK has had more than its share of them this season. That’s the number one issue. When you dig deeper you have to admit that losing the Vezina winning HOFer and going with Lehner/Brossoit has not turned out as planned. I think the hope was that the goaltending would be at least as good, but it certainly has not. On average, the VGK has to score at least 4 or more goals against the better teams in this league. To lay the problem solely on the backs of goaltending is certainly unfair, as you have to take into account the fact that Martinez has been out for most of the year. A solid defender, the VGK misses him blocking shots!
As a Season Ticket Holder (11, Row M, 15&16) the injuries to Stone and Pacioretty are also contributing factors to the VGK problems this season. Stone’s back injury, in particular, could be just the start of a decline depending on the severity. McCrimmon has rolled the dice to bring in some top players who are over 30, and at this point we are not seeing the cost benefit with the team slipping in terms of NHL ranking and Wins/Losses. Eichel is a young guy and obviously is a super star, but that all needs to be weighed against the price tag and potential roster impacts to the team as some of the higher priced players come off of LTIR.
When I step back away from the current week and season and take an overall look at this team from year 1 to present there are several major concerns I have.
The VGK went from a team of misfits who played exciting tilt the ice hockey for 60 minutes. The passion, chemistry and the feeling that they were great was never questioned. Even when the VGK was playing poorly at times, the fan base had faith in Gallant and the Misfits of the Round Table! But then, the “not-a-major” happened. The fan base, I can tell you, was quite upset. We weren’t upset with the team, Fleury or Gallant. We weren’t upset with Eakin either. We were upset that this bad call led to a devastating loss. Apparently the VGK front office didn’t see it that way. Why didn’t Gallant call a timeout? How could the Knights give up 4 goals during that major? Sadly, the “not-a-major” was the beginning of the end for Gallant and the Misfits. When the Misfits fell into a little bit of a funk after Fleury’s Dad passed away the VGK FO apparently lost faith in its coach and its goaltender. I’ve seen it in the military during my 30 year career. Leadership knee-jerking a response to an incident is the standard approach to problems.
Ever since the “not-a-major” we’ve seen knee jerk after knee jerk after knee jerk with the front office trying to make moves to buy a Stanley Cup. Last year, I didn’t think the VGK could get passed the 2nd round but they did. Montreal should have been an easy series, but it wasn’t. The team simply fell flat for some reason.
There are 2 major milestones in the Golden Knights short history. The first was the “not-a-major” leading to a cleaning house of the coaching staff and roster. The second was acquisition of Robin Lehner and the eventual loss to Montreal last season. The Billy Buckner moment by Marc Andre’ Fleury likely sealed his fate.
That Montreal loss was basically the last straw for the VGK FO and led to the team trading away players who, in my opinion, brought the passion, excitement and energy needed to the ice (Fleury, Reaves, and Schmidt). The current edition of Golden Knights is beginning to look like a poor replica of Edmonton. Eichel may be the only forward on the current VGK roster who could play on the Oilers top line. The team is now in CAP hell, has mediocre goaltending, and is a team that is regressing. The fanbase is sitting here mouth agape waiting on what the next major moves McCrimmon may make by the trade deadline.
Like a bad chess player, McCrimmon may be just a few more moves away from being checkmated.
In the meantime, former MisFits (Gallant, Haula, Nosek, Reaves, and others) are all having good years elsewhere. Unlike Lehner, teams are also looking to trade with Chicago for Fleury’s services for a Cup run. Could Fleury wind up in Colorado, Edmonton, or even Los Angeles? Certainly the Capitals are likely in talks.
Richard excellent recap of where this team was and where it currently sits. The Fleury saga will go down as one of the worst PR nightmare this team will ever have. The non timeout call in San Jose is a coaching SNAFU they never recovered from. They are all in to win a Championship that is the most difficult to win and in the process may have forfeited their future. Only time will tell as Suzuki and Tuch are playing well with their new teams. Tatar was a BUST and it cost the team 3 first round draft picks. On my podcast with Deryk Engelland which you can hear on the link at the bottom of this article he says that Vegas will be in the mix of cup contenders for a long time as players all around the league want to play here when they become UFA. When players loke Pacioretty retire they will have no problems finding a player similar in talent to fill the hole. I guess we shall see.
Joe P.
Christopher Reade sent this opinion in in regard to the goaltending
Whew I am on the fence on this one. Goaltending has not been our #1 issue this season. With that said, Brossoit is 1-4 in his last 5 games with an 0.886. Hard to go far on those kinds of numbers. We have time to turn it around.
Hey Joe.
Great recap and great comments from your readers.
Especially Richie Rich Santomauro who play in the same division as me according the lenght of his comments. Great stuff.
I`ll rest my case this time.
My comments after the game against Boston are still relevant even if Vegas were puck-lucky last night when the Ducks gave them two points.