Knights on Ice — Maybe We Should Read Between the Lines

Sometimes you need to read between the lines and this is one of them. The VGK’s 7-game homestand was a disaster. With last night’s loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 at T-Mobile in front of 18,400, they extended their losing streak to 3 in a row.

Coaches and players (not including Ryan Reaves and Jonathan Marchessault) are very careful about what they say to the media. Coach Gallant offers very little information on injuries and he’s even coy with his lineups. That’s not only expected, it’s understandable, as keeping the other teams in the dark as long as possible is a smart move.

But here’s what Max Pacioretty, one of the leaders of the team, said following the loss to the L.A. Kings. I’m paraphrasing, but it’s very close to his exact quote: “Maybe we need to make sure we’re ready to go come puck-drop time.” Then he backed that up with, “Be on time. When one guy isn’t, it throws everything off.”

Last night, Mark Stone, another leader, made a point of saying that 7 games in a row at home possibly provided a distraction and going out on the road is what this team needs to get back to simple hockey. You can hear his comments in the Stone Part 1 video at the end of this post.

If you read between the lines, maybe they’re saying this to the media so their teammates can hear that hockey is their first concern, rather than all of these public appearances that seem to be the norm here in Las Vegas. The players are at car dealerships, pawn shops, sporting-good stores, and the like, signing autographs and taking pictures with the fans. I get how much this city loves their team and the players seem to love interacting with the fans, but there’s one goal and one goal only for these players and this organization: winning the Stanley Cup. Win the Cup, then go to every public appearance your agent can book you at. I’m not privy to what they’re getting paid for these appearances, but I can safely tell you they’re paid a lot of money to play hockey and their goal is to first make the playoffs, then start the 2^nd season with the goal of hoisting the Cup and rocking a parade down Las Vegas Boulevard.

Right now, this team has lost its identity and desire. They really miss Jonathan Marchessault, the smallest guy on the team with the biggest heart and the most determination. William Karlsson, in particular, is lost without Marchy. Our guys are being outworked and outplayed, especially in the last 3 games, and that’s including the goaltending.

Last night they gave up only one goal in the first period, compared to 10 in their last 3 games. They got lucky to come back against St. Louis after falling behind 3-0, then they got behind 3-0 to the Pittsburgh Penguins before they scored a goal. Then they got behind 4-0 against the last-place team in the Pacific after one period before scoring a goal.

Last night, they didn’t score even goal one against Elvis Merzlikins, whose record coming into the game was just 4 wins in 16 games, along with never having a shutout. Last night’s was the first shutout of his career. The very famous Las Vegas saying, “Elvis has left the building,” wasn’t announced, but as he left the ice, Elvis Merzlikins played air guitar with his goalie stick.

In his post-game comments, Elvis said, “I had to. I had to. We’re in Vegas. Now we go enjoy it.”

Last night was Merzlikins’ 17th NHL game, all this season. He celebrated his fifth win by playing an air guitar after the buzzer.

“It’s kind of a playoff atmosphere every time you play here,” said Blue Jackets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois. “The music’s loud, the fans are going. It can work on both sides, I think. Obviously, being at home it can work on their side, but before the game, after warmups, we were all coming in here laughing because it’s so fun. It’s like a playoff game. The atmosphere here is crazy.”

For the first 2 seasons, T-Mobile was a big home-ice advantage for the VGK. The players played with a passion, using the crowd not only to energize them, but at the same time intimidate visiting teams. But when you read Pierre’s quote, it seems that teams are no longer affected by the energy in the building and may in fact be using it to get their road game going.

The Blue Jackets played hard last night, the VGK played soft. Columbus wanted it more, make no mistake about it. Vegas had 27 shots on Elvis, but most were from the outside, which is the system that the VGK is using, especially this season, where their speed or lack of it isn’t putting other teams on their heels. I don’t recall seeing any shots by the VGK last night that had bodies in front of Elvis and there were no VGK skate marks in the blue paint. None.

Gallant didn’t even attempt to pull Fleury late in the 3^rd period, a passive waving of the white flag for a team that has stopped playing VGK hockey, especially in these last 3 games. Columbus was content, like the L.A. Kings, in just sitting back and giving the VGK nothing in the high-danger areas. Columbus had a mere 2 shots on net for the entire 2^nd period. One of the shots was the 2^nd goal scored just 2:06 into the period, so one shot in the last 17:54. Vegas had no pushback in the 2^nd period, with only 11 shots on goal and just 9 in the 3^rd period.

My 3 VGK Stars of the Game: The VGK ice crew that scrapes the ice during TV timeouts (at least they skated all 200 feet of the ice last night and skated through the blue paint), the 18,399 fans (who never give up and support their team no matter what), and the last of the 18,400 (the VGK Warmies Guy, who never stops dancing and supporting the team, no matter what the score or effort).

Last night was the 2^nd time VGK have been shut out this season and both have happened at T-Mobile. The first time was on Dec. 8 vs. the NY Rangers by a score of 5-0.

Next game might be just what this team needs and that is getting out of Vegas and just be focused on playing hockey the brand of hockey they have treated Las Vegas with for the past 2 seasons and just for a few games this season so far.

There are 34 remaining games in which to straighten this out. it needs to start soon —  maybe as early as Tuesday night vs. Buffalo at 4 p.m. Pacific Time.

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