The VGK Win 2 Important Points, But Lose an Important Player

The VGK, reeling from a 5-game losing streak, needed a bit of St. Paddy’s Day luck when they returned to T-Mobile to face the high- scoring Florida Panthers, who are not only averaging over 4 goals per game, but sit at the top of the entire Eastern Conference with 88 points.

Florida also arrived at T-Mobile with a 6-0-1 record in the last 7 games, scoring 30 goals. In their last 7 games, the VGK have scored a mere 18 goals, 7 of the 18 in their last 2 games, though they also gave up 13.

The VGK had their work cut out for them heading into last night’s game. Historically, teams returning from a multiple-game road trip fare poorly in their first game back at home. So some 4-leaf clovers were needed to break the tailspin.

Well, St. Paddy sprinkled some good fortune on them. Vegas looked like an entirely different team than what we saw on the 5-game road trip.

The VGK not only played well, they did so for the entire 60 minutes which hasn’t been the case often enough this year. They scored 5 goals and held Florida to just 3 with their AHL goaltender Logan Thompson in the net for their 5-3 win and 2 important points as they fight to keep their playoff hopes alive.

But St. Paddy wasn’t all that kind last night. The VGK won a game that most didn’t expect them to win, but in the process, they lost Jack Eichel who blocked a shot late in the 2nd period with what appeared to be his right hand. He went to the bench in obvious pain and sat there for a bit before heading down the tunnel into the locker room.

The 18,265 in attendance last night were in disbelief as they watched Eichel leave the bench. What witch’s curse has been put on this team? They seem to lose players almost every game. Jack Eichel has played in just 15 games this season.

A sigh of relief was short-lived when Eichel returned to the bench and played one last 2nd period shift. That was the last we saw of him; he didn’t return for the 3rd period.

At this point, we know very little about how severe his injury is, but if it’s a broken hand or wrist, 2 of the most important parts of a hockey player’s body, the other being his legs, he may unfortunately be done for the season, along with the team’s chances of making the playoffs.

The Hockey Gods aren’t being kind at all. This is a team that if healthy is a juggernaut among the other 31 teams. I know injuries are part of the game, but cut me a break — not at this frequency. And it’s not 3rd and 4th line players going down; it’s the big boys, the pure goal scorers and the #1 goaltender. You can’t fade these number of injuries to the top of your lineup. It doesn’t matter who the coach or GM or president of hockey operations is, this is just insurmountable.

What’s sad about this is that they desperately needed Eichel for Saturday’s game against the L.A. Kings, who they’re chasing along with Edmonton for the last 2 playoff spots available, as Calgary seems to be locked into making the dance, sitting comfortably on top of the Pacific Division.

This win against Florida was something to build on, restore their confidence, get their swagger back. But Eichel’s unknown status leaves a dark cloud over the team, the same cloud that’s been hovering for the last 61 games.

If Jack Eichel can’t play tomorrow, the VGK will have over $47 million in salary unavailable to play. This will determine what happens on March 21, the trade deadline in the NHL. If the injured players can’t return, the VGK may have no choice but to be sellers in 4 days, pulling up the stakes and resetting for next season. There is no one to blame; this is not an individual’s problem or a system failure, even though I’d argue the power play needs to be fixed sooner than later.

There were a number of bright spots by individual players last night that helped the VGK win this game. In no particular order, Logan Thompson stopped 33 of the 36 shots he faced for a .917 save percentage. Evgenii Dadonov scored 2 goals against his former team and his 4th in the last 6 games. Brett Howden’s goal that tied the game at 1-1 was his 9th of the season, a career high. Nicolas Roy’s goal came just 57 seconds after Florida tied the game at 3-3 in the 3rd period.

If Eichel is badly hurt, the VGK will need to dig deep and gut it out, or as Chandler Stephenson said not so gracefully the other night, “It’s time to reach down and grab your nuts.”

Other game notes and quotes

“This is a big win for the goalie department. I know I haven’t been great, and every goalie coach in their mom’s basement has let me know that.” Logan Thompson

If you were out on one of those spaceship missions weren’t aware who is injured, here is a current infirmary list:
• Jack Eichel • Mark Stone • Max Pacioretty • Robin Lehner • Reilly Smith • Alec Martinez • Brayden McNabb • Nic Hague • Ben Hutton (COVID)

“That was a [heck] of a gutsy win,” Coach DeBoer said. “Lots of big efforts. … The kid (Thompson) played well in net.”

My 3 stars of the Game (Yes tonight I do have 3 stars to list): Evgenii Dadonov (2 goals, 4 SOG), Nicolas Roy (GWG and a great next shift after Florida tied the game at 3-3), Logan Thompson (33 saves on 36 shots)

Next game is Saturday afternoon vs. L.A. Kings at 1 p.m. @ T-Mobile

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Dadonov PPG

Maybe the only goal that Thompson should have had

Roy Game Winning Goal