Does size really matter? Men and women have very different opinions on this age-old question. In hockey, however, the answer is clear and both men and women hockey fans agree that it does. It’s only inches, and sometimes even less than an inch, but it matters.
The posts on each side of the net are connected by a bar running across the top. The crossbar and post (or pipes, as they’re sometimes called) are only two inches in width, but in last night’s game against the Minnesota Wild, they played a big role in determining the outcome.
The VGK had three glorious scoring chances in the first two periods. Shots by Lespic, Neal, and Marrchessault all ricocheted off the posts or crossbar back onto the ice. Sometimes the hockey gods can be cruel that way, because the Wild’s first two goals hit the posts went in.
The Wild’s third goal took another crazy bounce that went off Deryk Engelland’s glove and landed right at the skates of Eric Stall, who was alone in front of the net. With Stall’s goal, he became the only player in the NHL to score a goal against all 31 teams in his career.
Thus, all of the first three goals scored by the Wild were blessings from above. Malcolm Subban played great after having a subpar performance in his last outing versus Dallas.
“There’s nothing you could do on those goals,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. “[Subban] made some great saves for us and kept us in that hockey game. I thought he played a great game. He’s getting [more] confident every time he plays, so that’s good for our club.”
This loss dropped Subban’s record to 4-2-0. It was his second loss in a row and only the second loss in row for the VGK in a little less than a month. Their last two-game losing streak happened on November 6 and 7 against Toronto in a shootout and at Montreal the following night.
The Wild, meanwhile, came into this game after surrendering 13 goals in its last two games and with the VGK’s potent offensive, we would’ve expected to see more than a few goals scored.
Two goals by the VGK and one goal by the Wild were scored in the first 2:45 seconds in the third period. The VGK’s two goals put them in the lead, and protecting a third-period lead seems to be this team’s Achilles heel. Granted, they entered the period trailing. But once good teams have the lead in the third, they can and often do shut the other team down.
They played well enough to win this game, but the Wild’s Devan Dubnyk was the better goaltender tonight. Dubnyk has had a rocky start this season as he’s given up four or more goals nine times this year. On the other hand, he also logged three consecutive shutouts.
With Subban pulled for an extra skater and the VGK’s net empty, Dubnyk robbed Colin Miller from tying the game when he denied Miller, alone in front of the net with 1:05 left in the game from point blank range. That goal probably would have sent the game into overtime and allowed Vegas to pick up two points, or at least one with an OT loss. Last night’s loss, combined with another L.A. King’s win, gives L.A. sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division.
In last night’s game, Brayden McNabb scored his first goal of the season for our team. Just two days ago, even though McNabb had yet to score a goal, he was awarded a four-year $2.5 million contract. You might $10 million is a lot to pay someone who doesn’t score many goals, but defense man are paid to prevent goals and Brayden is ranked third overall in the league in the so-called 50/50 Club. This statistic records the number of hits and blocked shots for a player. Before last night’s game, Brayden had 56 hits on opposing players and 53 blocked shots.
If you’ve ever played hockey or watched an NHL game, blocking slap shots and shots that are coming at you sometimes in excess of 100 mph isn’t something just anyone can do. Putting your body in front of one of these projectiles isn’t for the faint of heart. One thing’s for sure: Brayden will have enough money to keep a good supply of ice packs at home—recovering from the bruises that those shots cause.
The Golden Knights are back at it again today in a back-to-back game against the Winnipeg Jets, who are 15-6-4 and on a roll. Vegas beat the Jets the first time they met back on November 10 at T-Mobile by a score of 5-2. But this will be another challenge for our guys, as they try to prevent their second 3-three-game losing streak. The previous one occurred with losses to the NY Islanders, NY Rangers, and Boston Bruins on the road trip that we all want to forget, when they went an ugly 1-4-1.
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