If not corrected soon, a developing problem will have a lasting effect on the the Golden Knights’ overall record and mindset.
You just cannot defy the odds of allowing the opposing team to consistently score the first goal. The team that scores first in the NHL has a proven track record of winning most of their games. VGK up until last night had a 5-1 record when the opposing team scored first. It was only a matter of time before the math took over.
You also can’t surrender leads going into the third period. Teams in the lead after two periods win a large percentage of the time.
The VGK once again blew a 4-2 lead going into the third period against the NY Rangers on Halloween night. They mustered only five shots on net in the entire last period. The fourth and fifth shots came when NY was already ahead 6-4.
This is a very big problem for which the coaching staff is mostly responsible. You can let one game go, but when you give up 18 of the 29 goals you’ve allowed in the third periods, this is a coaching error that needs to be corrected swiftly, before it consumes the team’s confidence.
The Knights’ fourth-string goalie was in the nets against a world-class goalie at the other end of the ice for the NY Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist was only one win away from becoming the ninth goaltender with the most wins in the 100-year history of the NHL. Meanwhile, VGK Max Lagace was making his first-ever NHL start.
One would think, with 10 goals scored in the game, that the goalies had an off night. Just the opposite was the case. Both goaltenders were outstanding, making one save after another.
Both of the Rangers’ first two goals came from passes from behind the net. This is a tough situation for a goaltender, who 99 % of the time is facing shots from in front of him. When the puck is behind the net, a lot of things must occur to defend against such an attack. On the first goal, Shea Theodore, who was making his VGK debut, failed on his two responsibilities and NY had an easy first goal, once again putting the VGK behind early in the game.
Yet the VGK didn’t let the first goal affect their game plan and proceeded to score two of their own to retake the lead 2-1 at the end of the first period.
The second NY goal also originated from the back of the net. Lagace, in fact, can’t be blamed for any of the five goals scored against him—all breakdowns of his defense and forwards. Some shots were uncontested shots from the point, with a NY Ranger standing directly in front of him, limiting his vision. This was the case on the Rangers’ fifth goal that broke the tie, an uncontested slap shot from the point as the VGK forward was off to the center of the ice, while Zibanejad was alone at the left point.
At the start of this road trip, the VGK were the number-one team in fewest goals allowed, but in the last two games, they’ve surrendered 12 and their stellar record now has two new losses attached to it.
To point out how much help Lagace didn’t receive from his team, in the 3rd period with a puck battle along the boards to the right of the net, both Reilly Smith and Jon Merrill were battling for possession of the puck with two Ranger players. The VGK came out of the scrum with the puck, but rather than take the safe play of trying pass the puck up the boards and out of the zone or even sending it back to the corner away from the pressing Ranger players, they threw the puck out in front of the net. This pass was the last thing Deryk Engelland was expecting, so it went off of his stick—directly to a Ranger forward, who promptly slid it past Lagace.
In the NHL where the parity among teams is strong, you can’t play 40 minutes of a 60-minute game and expect to win. You can’t sit back or go into a shell for the third period and expect to win. You can’t muster a mere fiveshots on net and expect your rookie goaltender to save your butt. Henrik Lundqvist might be able to do this, but not a player starting his first-ever NHL game.
The idea of winning three of the six games on this road trip is quickly fading. Let’s hope the wheels don’t entirely come off the bus. The game in Boston on Thursday is now very important to correct this current situation.
Some other interesting things from the last 2 games: The VGK scored their very first shorthanded goal; they were awarded their first-ever penalty shot and even scored on it when David Perron slipped the biscuit between Lundqvist’s pads; and with last night’s loss, the VGK may have saved Ranger coach Alain Vigneault’s job. His team has been in a tailspin since their opening night and rumors about his dismissal have been floating around the media and the fan base in New York City.
Also, Oscar Lindberg scored on his old team and the VGK have their first two-game losing streak.
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