Knights on Ice — 59:59.7

Yes, the Vegas Golden Knights used every second of the 3600 seconds that make up a hockey game. Last night they won a game that might be the game you look back on later in the season and say, “Remember that Nashville game? When everyone prior to the game was circling the wagons and questioning the character of this team? When we wondered if the team had lost its drive and swagger?”

It’s OK if you were one of these people. Who can blame you? The VGK fan base is as loyal as it comes and, especially in such a short time, is spoiled. You expect to win every game; it comes with the territory of being successful right out of the gate. The other 30 teams and their fans have a lot more experience in the ups and downs of having a hockey team that you live and breathe for.

Take the Montreal fan base. When there were just 6 teams in the league, the Canadiens won more Stanley Cups than any other team. Now they suffer from post-Stanley Cup depression, having gone 22 years since the last time they won the Cup. And how about the Philadelphia Flyers, who haven’t won a cup since 1975? And for how truly bad it can be, the Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967. The Maple Leafs’ 52-season drought between championships is the longest current drought in the NHL.

It was clear that the players were feeling the heat and may have been squeezing their sticks a little too tight. If you saw Mark Stone’s reaction when he scored the first goal of the game, you would have thought it was a game-winning goal late in the 3^rd period. If you can read lips, it appears he says, “FUCK YA” after he scores. If you saw the reaction of the players as they swarmed Max Pacioretty when he scored with just .03 seconds left, it looked like the team just won a playoff round. And when Paul Stastny scored in OT on a 2-on-0 breakaway with Nate Schmidt, I thought he might end up on the IR, as teammates tried to push him through the boards into row A. Some player skated down to Malcolm Subban to congratulate him on his first win of the season.

So if anyone thought this team had lost its desire, think again. They knew last night’s game was critical. Their HOF goaltender is back in Canada tending to a family emergency with no no timetable for his return. They blew a 2-goal lead and had a goaltender whose confidence was fragile at best and for that matter, the confidence of all 23 players was in question.

But I didn’t tell you the entire truth. The VGK didn’t really use the entire 3600 seconds, because when Max Pacioretty took a blind behind-the-back pass from Mark Stone to tie the game at 3-3, there was just .03 of a second left on the game clock. If you watched the game, as most of you who are reading this mostly likely did, your emotions had to be on edge. Was this fragile team really going to blow another 2-goal lead? They did and I’m sure a number of you were out on the ledge. I hope you’ve returned from that edge and are all safely about to enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner with friends and family.

Professional hockey players may get paid a lot of money, but make no mistake: A lot of them would play for a lot less. They love the game and they love to win. So the current atmosphere surrounding the VGK hasn’t sat well with any of the players. I’ve seen it first-hand in the locker room; you can hear it in the voices when they’re subject to us media guys asking them to relive a painful memory of losing. In a short video that I posted of Marc-Andre Fleury post-game against Edmonton, you can see the pain on his face about losing again, especially at T-Mobile where he’s loved by 18,000-plus every game. They take their losses hard.

Good teams find ways to win games and last night they found a way. Some games are character games for a team and last night was a character game. Some games can turn around a season and I believe this one was one of them. If they can’t use this game to regroup and start believing in themselves, they might not use the emotion and energy from this exhilarating win to get back on track. Even the pink Flamingo made its way onto the ice in Nashville. It was a good sight to see, but then again, so was the scoreboard after 3600 seconds plus OT.

Their win last night in OT was the first of the season, as they had been 0-4 and they were 0-11 in their previous games that went to the OT period. The last win the VGK registered in OT was on Jan. 12, 2019, in Chicago, almost a full year ago. In that game, Vegas came back from a 2-goal deficit to tie the game and eventually win it on a goal by Shea Theodore by a score of 4-3. Sound familiar?

The Big Boys stepped up last night in this character win: Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone, Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith, Paul Stastny, Nate Schmidt

My 3 Stars of the Game: any one of these 6 players could easily be one of them.

Jonathan Marchessault took the puck with just 14 seconds left in the game and 200 feet away from the net that needed to be dented. All he did was take the entire team on his back and proceed to skate it all the way up to the blue line before sending it in and then chasing it back down behind the net. Reilly Smith recovered the puck and as the clock was winding down made a blind behind-the-back pass to Mark Stone, who could have attempted a backhand shot that most likely would not have had enough mustard on it to beat Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros. So he also completed a tape-to-tape behind-the-back blind pass to Max Pacioretty who had more than enough mustard on his shot to beat Saros for the tying goal

Nate Schmidt waited just long enough on the winning goal in OT to freeze Saros and force him to open his legs when he had to slide over to face Stastny’s shot. Most hockey players will look before they shoot; Stastny had his stick down on the ice expecting a last-second pass from Nate, knowing full well that Saros would have to expose his 5 hole. Paul had already decided where he was going with the shot before he even got the puck. Very few players do this. It was Stastny’s 700^th point in his career and I’m sure one he will always remember. It may actually be the goal that saves this season from being a complete disappointment, for the players, the VGK fans, and the city of Las Vegas.

325 Feet of Heart & Soul

By Eddie Rivkin

If you’ve made it this far, you’ve already read the scoring recap from last night’s game in Smashville against the Preds. And I’m sure Joe addressed the ending of the game very eloquently. So I’m skipping the recap and want to share with you some facts and intangibles about the VGK, hockey, and why Prince never liked the word “fans.”

Anyone have a guess what 325 feet is in relation to hockey? I’ll save you the trouble. It’s the distance from one blue line to the opposite goal line and all the way back to the other end boards.

What is the significance? It’s the distance and route that Marchessault skated to retrieve the puck beginning with 14 seconds to go in the 3^rd period. After retrieving it, he skated it 200 feet, plus another 50 or so behind the Preds’ net on the forecheck to keep the play alive. The result you already know. Patches scores with 0.03 left to tie and Paul Stastny scores his 700^th point in the NHL in overtime for the win. Marchessault doesn’t get a point on the game-tying goal.

Marchessault’s heart, grit, determination, and will make him the first star of the game.

Marchessault is the smallest in stature on the VGK roster, but time after time shows he has the biggest heart. He’s one of the few NHL players that has no script. If you ask him a question, you get his honest opinion. You get unfiltered truth, good or bad, praise or self-critical. He holds himself and the VGK to the highest of standards and nothing less than 100% by him or the team is acceptable.

Last night’s performance at a time when the VGK desperately needed it convinced me that Marchessault is the heart, soul, and conscience of the VGK.

Last night’s game was worth only two points in the standings. What it could turn out to be is the moment, the night, that the VGK shook everything that was ailing them. My very good friend Dr. John Pierce messaged me that he thought there was something going on with the psyche of the VGK. Though no one in the organization veered off message, Dr. Pierce thinks that a combination of occurrences might have gotten into their heads leading to this rough patch.

From my couch the VGK have appeared fragile on several occasions. During the recent losing streaks, their spirit seemed to be broken if they fell behind. Uncharacteristically, they gave up multiple-goal leads. They were prone to mistakes in the D zone the likes we have never seen. At the Fortress this year, they are a .500 team when normally The Fortress is the best home-ice advantage in the NHL. All these things must weigh heavily on them regardless of whether they say so, which they never will.

Last night’s miraculous comeback win could put all that to rest.

It could be the game that restores what must be the challenged confidence of Malcolm Subban.

It may very well be the turning point in the VGK season that leads to an expectedly long playoff run.

It should be just what the VGK need to forget about the recent past and remember everything that made them what they are, a very good hockey team competing for the Stanley Cup.

We will begin to find out of any of this is true at the Gold Friday game against Arizona.

Curious as to why Prince called his fans friends, not fans? Because he said, “Fan is short for fanatic.” I know many of you are incredibly loyal and faithful fans of the VGK. You’re emotionally vested in our hometown team. And while that is a wonderful thing, in excess it is not. This season is the first time our team has faced any adversity. November will likely be the worst month in franchise history. Franchise history is two seasons and two months!

In our inaugural season, the VGK wore NHL 100 patches on their sleeves celebrating the league’s 100^th anniversary! That’s right, there have been teams playing for 100 years. Both Joe and I grew up as fans of Original Six teams — Joe the New York Rangers, myself the Detroit Red Wings. Both of our teams have endured years of losing and futility. There were gaps of over 40 years between Stanley Cups for both our teams. Forty-plus years!

I am not on my high horse as a guy with way more hockey experience than any of you. Nor am I talking down to you loyal VGK fans. I’m asking you, imploring you, to take a deep breath, relax, and try not to spread so much negativity online. In this age of the Internet, it’s easy to get caught in a spiral of negativity. No good comes of it. Our VGK lost four games in a row and then three. With all that, they’re still in position to be a playoff team for the third straight year. With all the inconsistent play, injuries, and bad puck luck, the VGK are very much in the mix to not only win the division but make a deep playoff run

Please stop with things like “fire Gallant.” You look ridiculous when you post stuff like that. You look as ridiculous as the people who sit in the front row and pound on the glass. You look like a fanatic.

We all want our VGK to play great, win every night, and hoist the Stanley Cup. The first two just aren’t going to happen and third likely will, sooner than later. In the meantime, in the legendary words of Aaron Rodgers when asked about a Green Bay Packers four-game losing streak: “R E L A X!”

No three stars, because I didn’t really write about the game.

If you appreciate the perspective Joe and I are giving you, please help us grow and give us a like or a share. If you don’t like us or don’t agree, you can still give us a like and share. We’d really appreciate it! And feel free to comment or ask questions. I know we both like chatting with our readers.

Happy Thanksgiving from both Eddie and Joe. Enjoy your day.

Max Pacioretty’s tying goal 

Paul Statsny’s winning goal