Was it the five-day break that had the Knights appear like they were always one step behind? Or was it the unbelievable speed of Connor McDavid? If McDavid had been an automobile, he would have been pulled over for speeding multiple times last night. His display of speed also came on the second night of back-to- back games for his Edmonton Oilers. Just how good is he?
He’s a complete player. He plays all 200 feet of the ice surface. He backchecks and forechecks. He draws opposing players to him, then dishes off the puck to one of his wide-open teammates. With what seems like two quick strides, he’s at full speed, creating total havoc on the ice. And he’s not even the leading scorer on the Oilers. But here’s what’s really scary about Mr. McDavid: Las night, he turned 21! This hockey phenom hasn’t even reached his peak talent-wise.
I call him Mr. McDavid, because mark my words, he’ll be breaking all or most of #99 Wayne Gretzky’s records, which have always seemed unreachable. Last night, for example, he achieved his 200th point in his first 173 games. He would have gotten there sooner, except he missed half his rookie year with a broken collar bone.
Okay, enough about the best player in the league. Let’s talk about the game and how, even though the VGK got one point from tonight’s loss in overtime, they didn’t deserve even that. The one point was a gift. Their power play continues to struggle and if this isn’t fixed soon, it’ll be a big problem going forward into the second half of the season where the games get tight and every goal is a big one.
The VGK had six power plays against Edmonton without scoring a goal. Granted, one PP was cut short when Vegas took a penalty while on the power play. but it’s still something of concern. What’s even worse about going 0-6 is that Edmonton’s penalty kill is the worst in the league.
Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury played well and gave up two goals or less during regulation for the eighth time in the last nine games. However, the VGK’s dominance on home ice was halted; their league-leading 18-2-1 home record going into last night’s game is now 18-3-1. Last night was their first loss in more than a month (since 12/12), their eight-game home winning streak was broken, and their perfect 6-0 record in OT now has a blemish on it.
Vegas’ next four games are on the road. Ten out of their next 12 games are away from T-Mobile. Home cooking has been the main reason for their outstanding record during their first 41 games.
Here’s what they’d accomplished at T-Mobile prior to last night’s OT loss: home record 18-2-1, best in the NHL; winning percentage .881%, best in the NHL; 3.67 goals per game on home ice, fourth in the NHL; goal differential +32, tied for first in the NHL.
Even though last night’s game was so not Knight-like, don’t panic. After their loss at Detroit on 10/17, they won five straight. After their 11/14 loss to Edmonton, they won five straight. And after their 12/1 loss to Winnipeg, they won 12 of their next 13 games.
The Karlsson, Smith, Marchessault line continues its dominance. Even though Reilly Smith didn’t get credited with an assist on the Karlsson goal, his relentless forecheck with under nine seconds to go in the second period was the reason this goal happened. A lot of players would have coasted, knowing that the period was about to expire, with the puck deep in their offensive zone and no defensive responsibilities to be concerned about.
Smith is the hidden gem on this line, as both Karlsson and Marchessault benefit from his hard work getting them the puck. But last night, he showed that he has some world-class moves of his own. On his goal, he skated out from behind the net to the faceoff circle, moving the puck from his back hand to his forehand, then drove toward the net, and with one skate over the end red line, lifted the puck over Cam Talbot’s shoulder for the go-ahead goal. Often called a top-shelf goal, he did just that.
On the tying goal for Edmonton, once again Mr. McDavid played a key role or at least his speed did. The VGK’s Brayden McNabb had the puck on his stick as it skidded out over the blue line. It should have just been a routine offsides and the play would have been whistled down. But with Mr. McDavid on the ice, caution should always be taken. When Mc Nabb attempted to get cute and shoot the puck into the zone, he put it right on McDavid’s stick, who in two quick strides was off to the races. His neat pass was sent back across the ice and before Fleury could react to the cross-ice pass, it was behind him and the game was now tied 2-2.
In OT, the VGK came down on a 2-on-1 and when James Neal lost the puck and his stick along the wall, he was trapped and Edmonton was quickly going the other way. Neal raised his arm for a line change, which might have countered Edmonton’s breakout, but David Perron, who jumped on the ice to replace Neal, for some reason didn’t skate toward the play. He actually appeared to not skate at all, which really seemed strange. Was it the five-day layoff that caused that one? We’ll never know.
This team has us all spoiled. We expect them to win every game especially at T-Mobile. Last night was a hiccup and when the Knights get back on the horses, all will be forgotten and this one point will be a gift we gladly accept.
Both James Neal and Marc Andre Fleury have been named to the All Star Team, the third time for both players. Coach Gallant was also named as one of the coaches for the Western All-Stars. The All Star game will be played at the end of January.
VGK goal scorers for last night’s game: Karlsson (23), Smith (12).
The VGK are back on the ice Tuesday Jan 16th at the Nashville Predators 5p.m. Pacific Time.
Look for a Subban vs. Subban rematch. I don’t know for sure that Malcolm Subban will start; it’s just my gut feeling. We shall see.
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