Knights on Ice — An Angel, a Panda, and A Lion Own T-Mobile

Last night was not your ordinary night at T-Mobile. The announced attendance was 18,290, but it really was 18,291, because there was an “empty” seat in section 8 of the lower bowl. It appeared empty if you watched the game on TV, but the soul and spirit of John “VGK Hulk” Baratta was there and always will be. The VGK angel John Baratta was smiling from above as his team not only beat the NJ Devils 3-0, but he also watched a moving video tribute that the VGK arena-entertainment department put together in his honor. If you weren’t at the game last night check out the video tribute to John “HULK” Baratta at the end of the article right before the players’ interviews

In another spontaneous tribute to John, many of his seat neighbors in both sections 7 and 8 and other sections around T-Mobile wore Hulkamania shirts and just like John would have done, they ripped their shirts in half and off their body celebrating all 3 VGK goals last night. I can safely say that John had a big smile on his face as the VGK and his extended family of 18,290 rose in his honor.

Rest easy, my brother.

Now to Panda and the Lion.

Robin Lehner, who already has a few names, has quickly fallen in love with the new nickname “Big Guy” and his self-proclaimed “Panda.” Through 2 games with the VGK, Panda has a record of 2-0-0, including last night’s shutout, the first for him this season and his 15^th overall. His GAA in his 2 games with Vegas is 1.00, along with a save percentage of .967. His last shutout was back on April 6, 2019, when he played for the NY Islanders. He still won’t tell us where the Panda nickname came from or what significance it has to him.

We all know who the Lion on this team is and last night the Lion, along with the rest of the 7-7-7 line, once again contributed to the success of the VGK. Revo, Carrier, and Nosek bring it every game and every shift.

We all know what Stone and Pacioretty bring to the team. We all know how Shea Theodore moves the puck from one end of the ice to the other and shoots rockets from the blue line. But the novice hockey fan or one who only looks at the box score misses just how important the 7-7-7 line is to the VGK’s success. I might not be able to call it the 7-7-7 line anymore, as Ryan Reaves’ goal last night, which closed the scoring, moved his goal production to 8 for the season. But 7-7-7 just works so well in Las Vegas.

Another aspect of this line is the outright fear they bring to opposing players. Revo and Carrier have 501 hits between them. Revo’s 296 lead the league and Carrier has 205. Entire NHL teams don’t have 501 hits. So you can see they contribute without the puck on their sticks. But they also have 22 goals and 25 assists combined.

Most coaches are happy with the so-called 4^th line eating up minutes and setting the tempo of the game. The 7-7-7 line not only does that, it also contributes to the score sheet if that’s only where you look. Calling them a 4^th line is an injustice. Coach DeBoer starts them every game, no matter who the other team starts at T-Mobile, where the visiting team must announce their lineup first. DeBoer plays no favorites and has made it clear he plays whoever gives the team the best chance to win the game.

28-75-92 have caught the eye of PDB and his confidence in playing them throughout the entire 60 minutes every game.

Unlike Panda’s first game where he surrendered a goal on the first shot he faced against Buffalo, last night, Travis Zajac’s first shot on Panda was a rocket that Panda just gobbled up like a bamboo shoot in his glove. I wanted so much to call Zajac’s snapshot a “shoot” for a play on words, but I didn’t want to be grammatically incorrect.

Early scoring was the catalyst, as Max Pacioretty’s goal, the team-leading 31^st of the season, came just 45 seconds in the 2^nd period after a scoreless first period. Then William Karlsson scored just 37 seconds into the 3^rd period to extend the VGK lead to 2-0. It was Karlsson’s 100^th NHL goal. Last night was also William Carrier’s 200^th NHL game.

After the game, Nicolas Roy and Brandon Pirri were sent back to the Chicago Wolves. I’m not even going to speculate what this move means, unless it’s for salary-cap issues, with which the VGK were compliant as long as Alex Tuch was on LTIR. If Tuch is set to return, this could be the reason for this player movement. Tuch was seen skating the other day at CNA.

Check out the Revo video at the end of this post, where I ask him if a Panda and a Lion get along. As usual, its a pretty funny response from Revo, who never disappoints with his soundbites.

My 3 Stars of the Game: Panda (27 saves and a shutout), Max Pacioretty (1 goal, the game-winner), the 7-7-7 line (with the Lion scoring his 8^th and cancels the 7-7-7 name going forward)

Honorary Star: John “Hulk” Baratta

Don’t forget, everyone who was in attendance on this special night at T-Mobile will receive a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts. Compliments of Panda.

If Panda Express wants a ton of exposure, they should give out free eggrolls and some bamboo shoots every time Panda gets a shutout.

Your comments and opinions are welcome here at Las Vegas Advisor or you can contact me directly at [email protected] or at Twitter @TheRealJoePane or visit my Facebook Page or the Facebook Page of Vegas Hockey Guy.

Tribute to John Barrata