Knights on Ice — Sticks and Stones and Shea

The Vegas Golden Knights rode the stick of Mark Stone and the passing of Shea Theodore to make a bold statement in their 4-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes last night at T-Mobile in front of 18,461 fans, who knew full well the importance of this game, as much as the entire team and the coaching staff did.

Is there really such a thing as a must-win game in your 42 games of an 82-game season? I’m not sure, but I can tell you that it was a game that speaks volumes about the character of the Knights, which have had a few games of late that were not what’s expected of this team and especially not of their goaltender Marc-André Fleury, who is the heart and soul of this team.

Last night’s win was Fleury’s 454^th, moving him into 6^th place overall among all goaltenders who have played in the NHL.

Fleury tied Curtis Joseph with his 454th victory in his 825th game. He trails Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers by four wins for fifth place.

As much as this was an amazing accomplishment for Fleury, he was tempered in his reaction to what last night’s win accomplished, as his last 2 games, he will tell you, were not what he expects of himself.

“Like I’ve said before, it’s humbling to be among these guys,” Fleury said. “Curtis Joseph, also known as ‘CuJo,’ is a guy I grew up watching, his feistiness and his battle in the game. I’ve been fortunate to play with good teams and good players.”

Fleury’s performances in his last 2 games resulted in 2 VGK losses and 12 goals surrendered. The 7 goals given up against Colorado on Dec. 23 were a career high. Fleury has played in 825 NHL games, which in itself is an accomplishment, but he’d never given up 7 goals until his 824^th game, which makes this even more amazing.

“Those last two before the break were frustrating and embarrassing a bit too, at home, giving up seven goals in front of our fans,” Fleury said. 

If you haven’t noticed, he wears his heart on his chest. He loves Las Vegas as much as Las Vegas loves him. Remember, he was deemed expendable by the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. The city of Las Vegas has fallen in love with the Flower and the Flower returns the love day in and day out. Just a few days after the passing of his dad, with whom he had an amazing bond, Fleury was seen around Summerlin and taking pictures with VGK fans. This is why the fans in Pittsburgh love the Flower to this day; he’s impossible not to love and embrace. The day that he is inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, which is a sure thing, will be a tough day for the Flower, as he will have to decide whose hat and jersey he’ll wear. Knowing the Flower like I have over the last 2-1/2 seasons, he will somehow make everyone happy, because that’s what he does on and off the ice.

The win moved Vegas into sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division. But before you start pumping your fist and jumping for joy, here is the reality in the Pacific Division that will make you realize just how important a win halfway through the season is, especially on a night like last night, which was a 4-point game.

Vegas has 48 points to lead the Pacific with 42 games played.

Arizona has 46 points with 40 games played.

Calgary has 45 points with 40 games played.

Vancouver has 44 points with 39 games played.

So these 3 teams currently trailing Vegas could pass them if they were to win the games in hand that they have on Vegas. Vegas could very easily go from first to fourth in the Pacific, not in a playoff spot, and would need to rely on the 2 wild-card spots that will be awarded in the Western Conference.

I do not believe that will occur, as there is just too much talent and leadership on this team, starting from the goal crease. Last night, Mark Stone, one of the unspoken leaders, had a signature game with the first 2 goals of the game, along with 5 shots on net and playing every inch of the ice surface.

As hard as this is to believe, it was the first 2-goal game by Mark Stone as a VGK during the regular season. Stone did have multiple 2-goal games in last year’s 7-game playoff series vs. the San Jose Sharks.

Another unspoken leader of the VGK is Max Pacioretty, who had this to say about Stone stepping up his game last night when the team needed to make a statement.

“We [Stone and I] feel like leaders on the team. Whether it’s on the ice or off the ice, there are opportunities to get the team going, and I think [Stone] was really buzzing from the start. The game’s always a lot easier when you contribute offensively early on.”

Also contributing on the offensive side of the puck was Shea Theodore, who seems to be making a habit of having multiple point-producing games. Shea had 3 assists in last night’s game.

Theodore’s three assists tied an NHL career high set two other times (Dec. 19, 2017, against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Dec. 15 against Vancouver). As a VGK fan, how could you ever forget that Dec. 19, 2017, game when Theodore scored with 2.7 seconds left in the game? At the time of that game, Tampa Bay was the best team in the entire league and on that night, the VGK made a statement about their team to the entire NHL. Last night, Shea was once again part of the Dec. 28, 2019, statement that the VGK made at least to the Pacific Division.

I would be remiss if, when talking about leaders on this team who are leading by example and stepping up when needed, I didn’t mention Max Pacioretty, who last night had two assists, giving him 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in the past 10 games.

My 3 Stars of the Game: Mark Stone (2 goals + the game winner), Shea Theodore (3 assists, giving him 18, more than every forward on the team except for Stone, Pacioretty, and Karlsson), and Max Pacioretty (2 assists and just one goal away from a Gordie Howe Hat Trick as Max was challenged to a fight by Lawson Crouse and accepted).

Next game is on New Year’s Eve. Please note the 12 noon starting time vs Anaheim.

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