Recap: The Golden Knights hosted the Anaheim Ducks on Nevada Day searching their third win in a row. Reilly Smith made it a quick 1-0 lead with his second goal of the season. Robin Lehner stopped all 8 shots from Anaheim in the opening twenty minutes.
Defenseman Nic Hague doubled Vegas’ lead 2-0 with his second of the season. The Ducks took advantage of a Golden Knights defensive breakdown to got within one late in the period. After 40 minutes Vegas held a 2-1 advantage.
The home team widened their lead with two goals in the first six minutes of the final period. Chandler Stephenson added his fourth of the season and William Carrier scored his first. The Ducks fought back and tied the game 4-4 forcing overtime. Evgenii Dadonov extended Vegas’ winning streak to three games with a successful shootout strike.
The Golden Knights record improves to 4-4-0 after their 5-4 SO victory against the Ducks. Vegas hits the road for a four game road trip starting off in Toronto on Tuesday. Puck drop against the Maple Leafs is scheduled for 4 PM. (Recap by Jason)
Analysis: After the game Pete DeBoer said this game felt like it was five games wrapped up in one. If that’s true, the Golden Knights were the better team in four of the five, but that one they weren’t almost erased all of it. This one would have stung badly even if they had dropped it in overtime or shootout. Instead, they get the two points and you can chalk about the blown lead as not a huge deal. (Recap by Ken)
Upcoming stories from the Vegas Golden Knights vs. Anaheim Ducks game at T-Mobile Arena.
- A dive into the minute numbers for a bunch of players as DeBoer mentioned fatigue as a factor on the blown lead
Ken’s Three VGK Stars
*** Nic Roy
** Nic Hague
* Chandler Stephenson
DeBoer said this was a huge week for the Golden Knights. Said they were staring at a horrendous start instead of just a bad start and the guys stepped forward to avoid it and win 3 big games.
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) October 30, 2021
Point: Rescued
Lehner did everything and more that you can ask from him.
And yet again… don't stick twirl against the Golden Knights.
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) October 30, 2021
Lehner's workload has been spotty, but he's been excellent when called upon.
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) October 30, 2021
The exact opposite of the 1st period in Dallas the other night.
It is beyond belief that the Golden Knights are only up 1-0 in this game.
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) October 30, 2021
Pistol Pete
I know it will be said aplenty that Brossoit would not have blown a three goal lead. I can see it coming.
Pistol Pete
There’s a parallel to these first eight games, different circumstances but a parallel nonetheless, Season 2 started 1-4 and won three to 4-4. Game 26 before went above 500 for good.
Pistol Pete
Dadanov is becoming quite the hero.
Daryl
He made the SO goal but other than that, he didn’t do much at all this game. He had a better game last time out…. not saying he had a bad game, just that he didn’t do much of anything.
Jim
yes, he looked like a beginner on that 3-on-1 rush that he turned into a big nothing burger
It is Roy who is the guy doing the clutch work. He made the entire winning play happen in OT in Dallas, and he made the shot in the shootout that kept the Vgk from losing the game
Justin
And don’t forget Roy, he set up Dadonovs game winner the other night by stealing the puck and fishing it to dad, and then tonight he scores the shootout goal to keep them in it and set up dad to win it. He’s turning into a very reliable and impactful player.
Daryl
I agree with you completely…. Dadanov had two big plays scoring but otherwise he hasn’t done much of anything, good or bad. His goal was setup by Roy yet he got almost no credit. Roy should be getting more praise than Dadanov but for some reason he isn’t
THE hockey GOD
@P Pete, yes he had another good game. He was leading his line, and the coach reflects confidence him in by giving him minutes. After the behind the no. 1 line he played top minutes. Getting more comfortable with VGK with every game.
THE hockey GOD
meant to say that after the no. 1 line and no 20 , he got most minutes of forward s.
Daryl
Curious but what exactly did he do that was so great??? They initially credited him with 2 turnovers but it looks like they’ve since changed it to 1. He had two shots on goal but neither were very difficult shots. Like I said, he didn’t play bad, but he didn’t do anything to get you noticed until the shootout
Daryl
KEN…. as I stated on Twitter, how do you NOT give 55 a star this game??? He made one of the most important saves of the game and without it, VGK would have lost
VGK dominated the 1st period and the start of the 2nd… I’m not sure what happened after that. RL still has major issues with his rebound control.
Justin
Leh er played pretty well overall, but that 4th goal – it clearly was shot way outside the goal, but RL went to catch it with his glove and deflected it in himself I’m pretty sure.
With all the Eichel trade talk its looking harder and harder to accept the idea of losing Reilly Smith or Nic Hague.
Btw they said Hagues shot was 107 mph. The all time record is Chara shot it 108. We have a vgk player with literally what may be the hardest shot in the NHL….
Daryl
I must have misunderstood them…. I thought they said it was 97MPH. At least one of the announcers said that (I think)
Tim
Daryl your right they said it was 97 MPH.
THE hockey GOD
Yes Justin on play of RL, and no Justin it was deflected by ducks’ player. Ducks announcers said that the duck’s player deflected it; check the box score to confirm. no 14 tipped it in front. Not RL fault, difficult to stop since it changed direction in front of him, he tipped it over his glove, changed direction.
Daryl
You are correct, that goal was way outside and it was tipped in. I don’t fault RL for the goal except for the fact he left the side of the net so wide open. I do blame him for 2 of the other goals. He has HORRIBLE rebound control and it cost them. You can defend him all you want, which is what you usually do, but there is no excuse for his rebounds
THE hockey GOD
THG is ALWAYS Correct , and don’t forget it !
now
“”Did he fire six shots or only five?” Well to tell you the truth in all this excitement I kinda lost track myself. But being this is a . 44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and would blow your head clean off, you’ve gotta ask yourself one question: “Do I feel lucky?” Well, do ya, punk?”
Daryl
Yep, in your little mind you are correct
Pistol Pete
One of those three goals was off a fat rebound I’m afraid. Stealing the words of the announcer but it was pretty bad.
sb
Al Iafrate, 110mph at All Star Game.
Hdbiker7851
Once the walrus is down it’s all over. That’s not ragging on him it is just a matter of fact. They bailed him out and were fortunate to win – there is no excuse it had to go to a shot out – up by three and blew it. I sure hope they aren’t banking on him to get them to the promise land
Pistol Pete
Lehner is $5m. Brossoit and Thompson? Is moving Lehner to pencil an Eichel deal viable? Lehner, Tuch and Smith?
Have not seen the game but I dare say Brossoit would not have relinquished a three goal lead. That CAN happen to any goaltender.
THE hockey GOD
great come back by team in SO , RL was terrific in goal all night;
and had a tremendous OT and stood tall in SO which is not one of his strong points.
The Ducks did same thing the prior night, erasing three goal leads seems to be the trend this season.
No PP practice this game, still rusty. Hard to get bugs out when you can have a PP.
Job done
Daryl
LMFAO!!!!
Rich Santomauro
Hockey God is so far up The Walruses jock he can’t see daylight.
Tim
The good news is we won the other good news we didn’t have a PP.
sb
Boy, how just a couple of games changes everything at this site. Since before he put on the uniform, many commentors here said awful things about Dadonov and the guy who brought him here, McCrimmon. The haters will be silent for a few days.
Daryl Taaffe
I’m still not sold on him. He had a better game two nights ago than he did last night. Last night he didn’t really do much of anything good or bad the entire game until the shootout. He had two very weak shots, initially 2 turnovers that since has been changed to 1, and he got beat a couple times. It’s not that I think he is a bad player, just don’t think he is worth what we they paid him… at least not yet
Pistol Pete
We can compare Dadanov and Tuch. Only thing better in Tuch’s basic stats is +19 vs. -14. Notably Tuch had a big + last season as the coaches have improved his two way game (possibly playing the DeBoer system, Dadadnov will improve…+3 this year).
Dadadnov:
.66 pts/game
goals as % of points: 47%
-14
Tuch:
.55 pts/game
goals as % of points: 44%
We can see both score a high % of their points as goals, a strength of their game with Dadanov higher. Dadadnov also bests Tuch’s fairly pedestrian pts/game which is roughly the same as Theodore and less than Petro.
Other than +/- Dadadnov is superior at least in terms of these surface. numbers.
Pistol Pete
Tuch +19
Pistol Pete
Tuch is horribly injury prone. I love him though. Personality, work ethic, speed and skills.
Daryl
I liked how you gave PDB props for Tuch’s improved performance last year….it’s not like it could have had anything to do with the level of competition.
The stats b/n Tuch and Dadanov are close except for the +/- like you stated, but those two stats are so far apart it’s not even close. The +/- stat doesn’t say much except when there is so much difference between the two. Dadanov will help the offense but he will hurt them defensively badly
Richard Santomauro
The major difference between Dadanov and Tuch is more than offense and defense, it’s also age and upside. Dadanov isn’t going to get any better. Tuch is still young and has many more years in this league.
You keep Tuch and surround him with better players. He’s been stuck on that 3rd line for a while. Maybe, if Smith moves on, Tuch moves up the pecking order and gets more ice time.
THE hockey GOD
is this your other brother Daryl, or your other other brother Drayl.
🙂
Daryl
Is this PDB or someone from the FO or the wife of RL???
Pistol Pete
Like the locker room, I like Dadanov and see no reason why he can’t do very well here.
Pistol Pete
Hague is moving up offensively. Now at .33 pts/game, which w/o checking I’ll call we’ll above the defenseman average. +12. Definitely top 4 material. Skating has improved.
Pistol Pete
Hague is maybe a little bit one of those guys who although he was an early 2nd round VGK pick (#34) was a tough call, based on his AHL performance (43 pts/101 games = .43 pts/game), to become a top 4 D. In fact I’m pretty sure DeBoer himself was sort of lukewarm on him initially. Just goes to show talent in the minors can be tough to judge. Too many intangibles. Given the opportunity they can elevate themselves. Can be tough to anticipate.
Daryl
Initially I was a big fan of Hague but when he came up and couldn’t produce offensively, I wasn’t so sure he would make it. His offense has picked up now if he can just get better defensively I could see him a top 4 defenseman.
Richard Santomauro
Hague also has two game winning saves in net as well.
Daryl
He’s our emergency goalie!!!
Pistol Pete
This four game road trip could be critical on goaltending. If Lehner struggles it could open a start for Brossoit ahead of the back to back. Could Brossoit actually become the starter and could that play into an Eichel deal? Hmmm.
Jake
Has any NHL team ever been .500 or better after 8 games with ZERO power play goals?
A record that will never be broken?
.500 at this point is “a miracle on ice” given the injuries and no power play.
Let’s win four more on the road with zero power play goals!
Pistol Pete
Good! Can we consider Marchy’s 6 on 5 a PP goal? Close enough!
knights fan in minny
stunk that they let the quacks back in the game good news i presume they came out injury free i hope
Bad Vlad
The object of the game is to score more goals than the opponent.
Dadanov scores goals. Big goals. Game winning goals
Unlike Krebs who couldn’t score a goal if his life depended on it. And even worse is the minuses he racks up. The very first shift Stephenson wasn’t saddled with Krebs he scores. It’s so bad now the other knights don’t even bother passing Krebs the puck. Watch closely. Rarely is he passed the puck. Why? Because he either loses it or gives it away.
Dadanov has what this team needs. Goals
Pistol Pete
Except Dadonov played 100 AHL games to Krebs 7. 76 games was called up and went 0/0 across 4 games and was sent back down for another 24 games. Apples to oranges.
Vlad
And that’s where Krebs belongs. E C H L
Let him drag a team down in that league
Richard Santomauro
Sorry Vlad, I am with you on McCrimmon and PDB, but Krebs has a future and you can see it in his skating and passing. Toughness is what he lacks and that will come with time.
Sure, he could use some time on the AHL club, but he’s holding his own out there. Let’s not forget that the Misfit Line was about -18 just a few days ago.
THE hockey GOD
@Vlad
what do you have against Russian players ???
Pistol Pete
Wouldn’t it be good if I could remember how to spell his name lol
Dadonov
Rich
Howden now has to prove his worth and spot.
The Walrus continues to disappoint.
Galdom
Hey Bad Vlad, did Peyton Krebs bang your mother or something?
THE hockey GOD
Ken agree 1000% with your long rant on Jack Eichel twitter feed.
Galdom
With a depleted lineup goaltending for the VGK is more important then ever. I wouldn’t assume that Brossoit only plays on back to backs. I think DeBoer will play the guy that he believes gives his team the greatest chance to win. I wouldn’t be shocked to see them split this four game road trip.
Toronto – LEHNER
Ottawa – BROSSOIT
Montreal – LEHNER
Detroit – BROSSOIT
THE hockey GOD
@ Galdom
agreed , except I would go with brossoit against Montreal and Lehner against Detroit. But some will say Brossoit is better match up against Detroit.
Wings are playing a lot better hockey than habs are. Habs are just as decimated in losing player personnel than the VGK are this year. Yet VGK coaching staff are getting a lot more out of lesser line up than the HABS are.
Arnold Rothstein
Never go against the VGK when death is on the line- Vizzini the PB movie.
AR
PS always use a safety helmet.
THE hockey GOD
i thought the 100% completely re vamped 4th line played a decent game. no. 15
the rookie got more playing time than no 21. Interesting. I am rooting for no 15, hope he gets better every game.
But wouldn’t be surprised if VGK picked up a veteran forward during this injury crunch.
Good to see Stone skating.
THE hockey GOD
Reilly Smith had “good re bound control” on that first goal !!
PS wait for all the RL haters head start exploding again.
roflmsao
Tim
Well it looks like the Jack Eichel trade to Vegas is closer then ever. There talking Theadore 5,2 million which wouldn’t hurt my feelings probably Reilly Smith 5 million, a few draft choices and who else that’s the 64 thousand dollar question. I thought that with Stone starting to skate on his own we might pass on Eichel but it doesn’t seem so. Let’s look at this positively and hope his surgery goes well and he’s ready to go for the playoffs.
knights fan in minny
the d core is getting older you need shea for the future
THE hockey GOD
with each passing game i hope no 27 gets back to his normal self !!
:\;(
THE hockey GOD
;(
knights fan in minny
that would be nice
Richard Santomauro
How about let’s talk about Eichel AFTER the trade. This will be the dumbest move in the team’s short history if they go for it.
Jim
McNabb stunk in that game. He was responsible for goals #1 and 2 against.
He lost the puck behind the net on goal #1, and he got beat standing still in the neutral zone by Terry on goal #2.
he is a UFA, so this may be his last season here.
trade
Vgk claim Amadio from Toronto
and Nolan Patrick is put on IR
Richard Santomauro
Who is going to wear #18, Krebs or Amadio?
Pistol Pete
Krebs because he’s there first.