Recap: The Golden Knights got off to a quick start to their second preseason game taking a 1-0 lead 2:07 in the opening period. Vegas forward Patrick Brown scooped up a rebound in front of the net for his first goal of the preseason. Eight minutes later Colorado evened the score but Vegas would regain their two goal edge on special teams. Nic Hague ripped home the Golden Knights second power play goal in as many games. Vegas took a 2-1 advantage into the first intermission.
Colorado scored the only goal of the second period and took the 3-2 lead early in the final frame. Vegas veteran Alex Pietrangelo settled things down a few shifts later by rifling the equalizer by the Avalanche’s goaltender. Mainstay Jonathan Marchessault scored the game winning goal and Vegas’ second power play goal of the contest to capture their first victory of the preseason.
The Golden Knights even up their preseason record with their 4-3 win over the Avalanche. Next Vegas will travel north to Salt Lake City, UT to play divisional rival LA Kings on Thursday night. Puck drops at 7 PM. (Recap by Jason)
Analysis: It was a penalty-ridden game that really didn’t have much of a flow to it. VGK had a few guys stand out but overall there wasn’t much to see in this one. (Recap by Ken)
Upcoming stories from the Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche preseason game at T-Mobile Arena.
- Lehner finally shares the origin of the Panda nickname
- SinBin.vegas Podcast
Ken’s Three VGK Stars
*** William Karlsson
** Patrick Brown
* Alex Pietrangelo
Only in preseason can the Golden Knights win and lose on the same scoreboard… And both be right. pic.twitter.com/I5sqvB4olH
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) September 29, 2021
Misfit Line + Pietrangelo/Martinez decided this whole losing thing wasn't for them.
They are no longer losing.
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) September 29, 2021
VGK projected lineup for tonight's preseason game vs COL
Marchessault-Karlsson-Smith
Carrier-Roy-Kolesar
Krebs-Howden-Dugan
Røndbjerg-Leschyshyn-BrownMartinez-Pietrangelo
Hague-Coghlan
DiLiberatore-KorczakBrossoit
Patera— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) September 28, 2021
Tim
Only a scrimmage game but they used mostly kids and 3/4 of our team was veterans. Doesn’t mean much but they played us even as far as I could see. We did get a lot of work on the PK which we handled well. Ken your right not much flow to the game.
THE hockey GOD
dugan should not be on left wing on PP, should be a left handed shooter not a right handed shooter.
krebs needs a shooter to compliment his style of play, so far he dipsy doodles all over the place to no avail. He’s like troublesome gnat that eventually gets swatted away.
none of other “prospects” out there tonight did anything consistently amazing, the AVS had a few though.
Richard Santomauro
Let’s focus on the positives. Why? Because I am always hammering the negatives.
Of particular note is that I think we are going to see a major change in scoring this year across the board with this no-cross checking in the back rule. VGK looked a lot more comfortable in front of the opposing goalie throughout this game. Defensemen no longer have the freedom to cross check forwards in the back and punish them. Now they will have to actually fight for position without taking an interference penalty.
At the 6 second mark of the 3rd period Bowers cross checks Krebs in the back knocking him to the ice. Petro retaliates by cross checking Bowers 3 times hard in the back and gets flagged. Bowers should have been called as well, but good to see Petro standing up for the kid.
1- Brown turned in another great performance. Each time he has been in a VGK sweater he’s played well.
2- Brossoit actually looked very good in goal despite the goals against.
3- Power play looks much improved!
4- I was impressed with the play of Leschyshyn, Delibatorre and Rondbjerg (sp?)
Was this a great game? No, but I think the team turned in a good solid performance as a group.
A rare thing, but ThG and I agree. Dugan should not be on LW. Krebs does need a complimentary player. However, I do see him dipsy doodling all over the place and I am not sure if that is because he is not where he is supposed to be or that his speed gets him too far out in front of his mates. Whatever the reason, get it fixed.
I am excited to see the new LA Kings on the ice. I think they had the best off season moves in the west. So, looking to see what these new Kings will bring to the ice in terms of competing for the Pacific crown. I have predicted that the Kings will not only challenge for the crown, but may actually win it.
THE hockey GOD
i like KINGS too, I don’t like their FO with BLAKE in charge, makes too many dumb moves.
the drawback with getting sharp shooter for krebs is that it comes at a price, normally in plus/minus column leading to minuses , less back checking. I see team shaping up as, barring no injuries:
theodore/hague/whitecloud/petro/marty/ and no3 on defenseman , mcnab and coghlin as back up
line 1 stone pac steph
line 2 misfits
line 3 boris badenov, roy/brown, janmark
line 4 carrier, roy/brown, kolesar
back up probably dugan or nolan patrick
goalies you know, with thompson back to sliver nights
i would have like to have seen mason Primeau in an exhibition game, not getting into first two has to be disappointing. Maybe he gets into next game, with his buddy Luwain the from the jamican bob sled team.
the announcers last night in TV broadcast didn’t get around to doing their job until half way through the third period when they actually announced what was going on , on the ice. Rest of time I put them on mute which was deserved.
Blitz
If that is our line up we are worse than last year. Might as well root fleury or turk on or watch more college football. (joking, but maybe some truth)
So you have line 3 as worse than last year (dadinov for tuch) and line 4 is the same as last year when Reaves didn’t play. You have one PP guy in dadinov and a PK guy in janmark . Nothing says insanity like doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
I am not impressed with Carrier being anything more than backup. I like the guy and like his grit, just what does he bring to the team? He is responsible defensively 5×5, but not trusted to be on PK. He has zero ability to finish offensively. His best attribute is driving a puck into the Ozone and playing keep away. He is hard to get off the puck on the boards. I am willing to give that up.
My take is that if Patrick and Howden can’t make this team (or make it better) then we have the same team as last year and a minus in goal tending. Maybe Tuch at the end of the season makes things better, but Tuch to me is more of a lone wolf and i am not sure dadinov and tuch on the same line gel. I would like to see it though.
THE hockey GOD
so Blitz, what would you counter with for lines three and four ? You think they will can Boris Badinov and or Janmark, after their capital expenditure, and go with two yutes ?
Other teams have made gutsy moves like this before, think VGK will do it ? I was thinking about doing it, then I looked at replacement and slapped myself upside the head.
Blitz
I think Patrick is legit. He needs playing time with line mates. I loved his distribution and around net shot attempts. It’s one game, but his highlights are good for the same, so I know it is in him. Ceiling is super high. You put him with a pure (probably even selfish) scorer like Dadinov. Get some confidence between these two and you have a real 3rd scoring line and PP players.
Line 3:
janmark-patrick-dadinov
When tuch comes back I guess he takes janmarks spot, but that puts 2 right wingers on that line. Assuming they can adjust to that great, that is a hell of a line. That also put Janmark on Line 4 at that time which is probably great for that line. Someone will have to fall off, but that is a good problem in the schema of things. Real depth.
I think line 4 is tough, there’s alot of guys left to fill 3 spots. I think it is clear Howden is being evaluated for C4 duties and especially for PK duties. Line 3 and 4 should not be completely PK deficient. This is an absolute need. No special team ability, no spot for you.
Line 4:
Brown-Howden-Roy
Again alot of dudes want on this line and no room. Roy is not my fav player, pretty vanilla really, but he is young and I though looked solid yesterday and late last playoffs. So I assume his game is elevated. Brown I am impressed with and seems solid at times. He had a few moments on PK last year and I remember thinking at the time he is the best guy out there (or at least was making some good D plays). When Tuch comes back Janmark takes the left wing on L4 and Brown is the guy out.
Carrier gets traded if possible. Kolesar goes in and out according to other players absence and injury, which both will happen.
Another option here at LW is Krebs. I think Krebs with playing time and solid line mates and more team practice will be fine. He is taking a beating right now from folks that expect too much. The kid is talented. I think you put him in especially early season against poor-er teams and hope you have some growth come playoffs. You can’t grow talent if you stick them on HSK and play low ceiling guys like Carrier in front of them.
The goal is to win in the playoffs, not reg season. Pacific is weak. You need to be in the top 4. Take some gambles. Loosen up the leash a bit. Don’t burn L1 and L2 out all season and bitch when they have nothing left at the end. Use L3/L4 guys in the PK etc.
Thats my take on it God. I am by no means an expert. I feel like the team could have existed 1st round against MIN last year if not for Fleury and how he isn’t here. Goaltending is a big question mark for me and I question if they can handle the talented ultra offensive teams Avs and Oilers that we will see. So the moral is if we don’t take risk and try to develop talent and roles all season we won’t go far even though this team made it deep last year.
Blitz
…more comment after thinking about it. You might even move Krebs up to L3 if he is looking more comfortable and the lines look like:
L3:
krebs-patrick-dadinov
L4:
janmark-howden-roy
L3 might become a worse defensive sound line, but janmark isn’t much of a finisher (that i have seen) so him going to L4, it becomes more sound and L3 might have some real fire power.
Mike StG
ThG & Blitz – I agree 100% with every single thing Blitz said in his 2 responses. I might add that Dadonov plays both LW and RW so when Tuch gets back it’s no problem. I also think Patrick’s ceiling is so high that Stevie might be C3 by the time Alex returns. That’s a big “might” though.
Daryl
Krebs has not impressed me at all. He is fast and I like his speed but put him up against every day NHL players and he gets tossed around like a rag doll. Even in today’s pussified NHL he is too small and weak to make much of a difference on the ice, at least as an every day player
THE hockey GOD
@daryl, i saw the same thing, he’s just a kid. Maybe he will bulk up. IF not he will join his sister singing C&W songs in Nashville.
So far I am not impressed with 21, I don’t see him taking Kolesar’s spot based upon his play to date.
Richard Santomauro
I have to say that Howden does not look as good as Kolesar. Dadanov and Patrick still have a shot.
vgk21
PP= Avs 0-7 Vgk 2-4
that shows the importance of the PP in winning games.
also, 18 shots from dmen by Vgk, and 15 of those 18 were by the 4 young guys on D. impressive
Richard Santomauro
I really like the wing spans on both Hague and Roy on the PK. That span makes it just a bit more challenging for opposing players to pass on the PP.
THE hockey GOD
21 needs to step up his game, lost key draw on PK, made a decent sweep check in o zone once.
Richard Santomauro
Howden did not have as good a game vs COL, that is for sure.
Tim
I was impressed with Delibatorre he gets a lot of shots off goes to the net I think he’s a keeper. I thought Coghlan has upped his game. Dugan passes to much with his size he needs to show us why he led collages in scoring. He may or may not make the team because of his age but Patrick Brown is better then half the players last night. People like Kolesar I don’t I’d take Brown over him Dugan, or Krebs. He’s aggressive and we need that kind of heart.
THE hockey GOD
kolesar needs to develop a shot, he has not, very weak on shooting. I agree with rest of your assessment this early in season.
Tim
THG when I see Kolesar on the ice it’s like a chicken without a head he goes 100 miles an hour and accomplishes zero. When he has an open shot panic sets in and like WI said before he couldn’t score in a open net. You can fix a lot of things but when you go to panic mode that’s not fixable in other words he’s a choker.
Richard Santomauro
If Kolesar ever figures out the scoring part of this game – well then we’re talking!
Daryl
This no cross checking is going to kill this game. Defenseman cannot play defense in front of the net, it’s basically impossible. You will start to see a bunch of interference calls coming. They said this rule change was about safety but they are full of it. It’s about scoring and nothing else. Most rule changes are implemented to increase scoring and that is what this is
Tim
Daryl I agree this will cause to many penalties slow the game and like football where they can call a penalty on any play take the fun out of watching the game. I’m not the gong ho fan anymore anyway and this just brings me closer to closing the door on hockey. I did it years ago in football haven’t watched a game for years and I survived is hockey next?
Mike StG
So, I guess that makes improving the PP and maintaining their excellent PK more important than ever.
Richard Santomauro
What’s next, an added layer of paint and a 5 second rule?
I agree Daryl, what you will see are a lot more interference calls as the defense attempts to get position in front of the net.
This rule change definitely helps the offense. My biggest concern is how many penalties it is going to add to the game.
Richard Santomauro
Okay, let me give the lines a shot. It’s a bit early with several preseason games left.
Forwards
1- Patches, Stephenson, Stone
2- Smith, Karlsson, Marchy
3- Brown, Janmark, Cotter
4- Dugan/Carrier, Patrick/Roy, Dadanov/Howden
* I would like to see Mason Primeau get some ice time during this preseason.
Defense
1- Petro, Martinez
2- Whitecloud, Theodore
3- McNabb/Coghlan, Hague/Hayes
G1 – Lehner
G2 – Brossoit
Richard Santomauro
I would remove Howden and put Kolesar in on that 4th line at this point.
Dustyn Cottino
I want to give an opening night against the Kraken lineup prediction so here we go.
Forwards:
Pacioretty-Stephenson-Stone
Smith-Karlsson-Marchessault
Janmark-Patrick-Dadanov
The 4th line is kind of a coin flip to me at the moment
Krebs/Carrier-Roy-Kolesar/Howden
Defense:
Pietrangelo-Martinez
Mcnabb-Theodore
Whitecloud/Coghlan-Hague
Goalie:
Lehner
Brossoit
Let me know how you feel especially with my 3rd and 4th line
Ken Boehlke
I think you’ve got it nailed. The positions you have multiple players in will be really tricky though. My guess right now, Carrier, Kolesar, Hague… but it wouldn’t shock me if my mind changes in the next two weeks.
Richard Santomauro
I think what we will see is
L4 Kolesar, Roy, Carrier
D3 Whitecloud/Hague
After watching Krebs, he needs to muscle up more and get some playing time on HSK.
Blitz
So approx the same L4 from last year when Reaves wasn’t playing and no PK guys. Exactly opposite from what PETER said. Perhaps that will be the line up opening night just to get things rolling again, but not ballsy enough to provide any real role for the season and especially the playoffs.
Mike StG
I don’t see any way that Howden isn’t in the lineup. If for no other reason his role on the PK.
Blitz
I think that as well.
Richard Santomauro
I agree! But I believe PDB will stick pretty much to the status quo. I’d like to see these new guys get legit opportunities on the 4th line or bottom 6 to see what they can do!
Blitz
I hope he doesn’t do the same old same old. It’s a long season in a weak div. They need to experiment. They need to allow high ceiling guys to have time to get comfortable and prove their worth. I hope he goes for it. I hope the season is an experiment to see who needs to be in the line up come playoffs. Leave the presidents cup for some other team to burn themselves out on. We’ll see though.
Daryl
@Blitz,
I would love to see PDB take a couple chances and really go all for it. Like you said, it’s a very weak division which should give him plenty of chances to try new things. Unfortunately, that isn’t something PDB has never done anywhere he’s been and I don’t see that changing this season
THE hockey GOD
welcome to Jungle, DC
Arnold Rothstein
don’t be surprised if KRAKEN smoke them, they are playing well in pre season so far
regards
the Arnold Rothstein Syndicate
“offering the lowest vigs for players in the valley so you can break the bank
and not anything else”
Richard Santomauro
I doubt that the Kraken will smoke VGK in the regular season with them at full strength even without Tuch. The Kings will be the team to worry about.
Arnold Rothstein
talking about game one here, don’t see a wager on vegas totals over kraken for whole season, sorry I wasn’t clear on that.
Arnold Rothstein Syndicate of all Syndicates.