As you might know, the VGK visit Eastern Conference teams just once during the season, so yesterday’s meeting in Washington, D.C., is the only one that appears on the VGK schedule as of now. But let’s not forget that of the 16 teams that will qualify for the playoffs, one of them will win the Stanley Cup. And all teams based in America who win the Stanley Cup are invited back to Washington to spend a few hours at the White House with this cherished trophy.
As much as hockey was originally mostly associated with Canada, Americans have somewhat hijacked this great sport, and who can blame them? Many of us were disgusted by the actions of a few football players this past season — and that’s a sport associated with the U.S. So welcoming hockey was a no-brainer, especially in Las Vegas, with an expansion team that’s now the best in the west and the second best in the entire NHL.
The VGK keep turning heads, setting and breaking records at every turn, and beating just about everyone, including the other top teams in the league, not only at T-Mobile, but also on the road. Winning on the road is one of the keys to success and not only during the 82-game schedule. It’s essentially also a requirement in the quest for an invite to Washington D.C. in June.
A quick recap: The VGK have recently beat Tampa Bay and Winnipeg, and yesterday they vanquished Washington, all division leaders. And all of these wins have been on the road.
Now you’re probably saying, “Sure, Joe, but aren’t you getting ahead of yourself here? There’s still is a long way to go in the season.”
And yes, maybe I am, but I can tell you that as a lifelong hockey fan, what you’re seeing here with the Golden Knights is so outside the norm for an expansion team that you’ll please excuse my excitement. I’ll go as far as to say that I’ll shave my head if they don’t make the playoffs. And I love my locks, so this promise isn’t something off the cuff here.
Another requirement come playoff time is playing as a team and this collection of castoff skaters does exactly that. Just about everyone is scoring. And with Ryan Carpenter putting the puck in the nets yesterday to tie the game at 1-1 in the first period, he became the 23rd VGK to register a goal so far this year. Even Alex Tuch, who hadn’t scored in 11 games, had a huge goal to break the third-period tie and propel the VGK to their 35th win of the season.
The VGK never quit yesterday, even as they trailed in the game three times and came back all three times to tie the game before finally taking the lead on Tuch’s goal with just 5:18 left in the third period. The final score: 4-3.
Marc Andre Fleury was back in the nets, like I predicted in my last post; he faced only 23 shots and saved 20 of them on the way to his 390th career win; on the all-time win chart, he passed Dominic Hasek, who was a legend in the nets. The VGK pretty much shut down the potent Washington offense — known to get 20 shots on net in one period alone.
The VGK power play is on fire, scoring another PP goal yesterday by Reilly Smith, who also added an even-strength score for his 15th and 16th goals of the season. Their power play was 1 for 1 yesterday and has scored 10 PPG in their last seven games. The PPG percentage stands at 59%: 10 goals in the last 17 power-play chances.
The VGK have won 5 of their last 7 games and are 20-4-3 since Dec 3. The return of Fleury from a concussion, in my opinion, has a lot to do with the torrid pace they’re on.
Their game on Friday in Minnesota, where they didn’t appear to have any zip or stamina, was long forgotten as they looked like themselves again, even though they trailed or were tied except for the last 5:18 of the game.
Fleury hadn’t played in Washington since he shut out the Capitals, 2-0, in Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference, making 29 saves. He also beat Washington in Game 7 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals with a 6-2 win.
I mention these important milestones for Fleury in Washington, because on Tuesday night he might be playing in one of the most emotional games he has or will ever play in. He returns to Pittsburgh where, prior to coming to Vegas, he spent his entire career, winning three Stanley Cups.
VGK goal scorers: Carpenter (1), Smith (15, 16), Tuch (10).
The Knights’ next game is tomorrow night vs. Pittsburgh at 4 p.m. Pacific Time.
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