Recap: The Golden Knights hosted the Washington Capitals looking to break their three-game losing streak. Vegas’ offense came out hot scoring two goals in the opening 7:36 of the game. Alec Martinez wristed in his 1st goal of the season and Nic Roy added his 9th. After 20 minutes the Golden Knights carried a 2-0 lead into the 1st intermission.
Vegas’ offensive continued firing in the middle frame. Michael Amadio, Byron Froese and Paul Cotter all scored 2nd period goals to give the Golden Knights a commanding 5-0 advantage. The Capitals scored late in the period to break up Logan Thompson’s shutout bid. After 40 minutes the local team took a 5-1 lead into the third period.
Cotter tallied his second goal of the game to regain VGK’s five-goal edge. However, the Capitals got one back later in the frame. The Golden Knights ended their three-game with a 6-2 victory over the Capitals.
The Golden Knights’ record improves to 29-16-2 defeating the Capitals 6-2. Vegas will hit the road for the next six games beginning tomorrow in Arizona. Puck drop against the Coyotes is scheduled for 5 PM. (Recap by Jason)
Analysis: The Golden Knights came out and smoked the Capitals from the second the puck dropped. VGK flew through the neutral zone opening up plenty of chances off the rush and extended zone time. Defensively the gap control was excellent keeping the Capitals from being able to generate much of anything until the game was well in hand. Excellent game from VGK (also a horrendous game from Washington.) (Analysis by Ken)
Upcoming stories from the Vegas Golden Knights vs. Washington Capitals at T-Mobile Arena.
In the world of professional sports, there are a few telltale signs that concern is seeping into a team. The Golden Knights have seen two of them in the last few days.
First is the team meeting. We hear it all the time for teams heading in the wrong direction that following a big loss they lock the doors and hash things out. Typically the captain and a few others in the leadership group step forward and make it abundantly clear that the losing must stop.
With the captain sidelined for the Golden Knights, someone else had to do it.
Marchy stood up and spoke to everyone and said some powerful words. We all need to look in the mirror here. Here and there it’s okay to lose if the effort’s there but the effort wasn’t there. -Keegan Kolesar
Following the shutout loss at home to Dallas, one of the few remaining players from the inagural season stood up and had some choice words.
After the game I was super disappointed so I said my piece and now we’ll move on and see how we respond tonight. -Jonathan Marchessault
Recap: The Golden Knights were trying to snap their two-game losing streak by hosting the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit got off to a quick start scoring on a tipped pass that VGK goalie Adin Hill couldn’t get to in time. Late in the period, Alex Pietrangelo evened the score at 1-1.
Detroit regained their one-goal lead early in the middle frame after Nic Hague committed a tripping penalty. Midway through the 2nd period the Red Wings extended their lead to 3-1, frustrating fans at T-Mobile Arena.
Vegas attempted a comeback in the final period, but their offense continued to struggle. Detroit blocked several shots in key moments to suffocate VGK down the stretch. William Karlsson made it a one-goal score with 0:47 left in but Vegas couldn’t find the game-tying goal. On the road, the Red Wings handed the heavy-favorited Golden Knights their third straight loss.
The Golden Knights’ record drops to 28-16-2 losing to the Red Wings 3-2. Vegas will next hit the ice on Saturday evening against the Washington Capitals. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM. (Recap by Jason)
Analysis: Different game but similar story. Inability to score first followed by a lack of forechecking pressure, and an unwillingness to get to ice in front of the goal. (Analysis by Ken)
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Upcoming stories from the Vegas Golden Knights vs. Detroit Red Wings at T-Mobile Arena.
When the Golden Knights hit the ice tonight get ready to see yet another combination of forward lines. With the losses of Mark Stone and William Carrier, Bruce Cassidy has been searching for the right mix of players and until he finds it he doesn’t plan to stop.
In his media session today, Cassidy explained three components he’s been using to find a set of 12 forwards that can work on any given night.
First, he tries to tailor the lineup to the opponent. For instance, tonight’s lineup against the Red Wings will likely look a bit different than the one Cassidy rolls out Saturday against a stingier Capitals team.
Maybe this line combination against a team that we might get more rush opportunities against. So we can try and then go to Saturday’s game and sort through it from there. -Cassidy
The projected lineup for tonight has Phil Kessel up on the top line with Chandler Stephenson and Jack Eichel. The Misfits represent the 2nd line while Nic Roy, Paul Cotter, and Keegan Kolesar will man the 3rd line.
I thought (the Roy/Carrier/Kolesar) line has been consistent all year and Paul has a bit of Carrier flavor in terms of playing straight line and get to the net. -Cassidy
The second aspect he’s looking for is to have as many complete lines as possible, even if that only means three instead of four.
Mark Stone is having back issues again which has changed the outlook on the season. We discuss what happens with Stone out, Eichel’s need to step forward, the Pacific Division, and much more.
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During the month of December, the Golden Knights had to play 13 games without their most expensive player, Jack Eichel. Vegas went 7-5-1 including wins over Boston, Winnipeg, and Colorado.
In that stretch, Mark Stone’s play was incredibly noticeable in all three zones. He posted 16 points (7G, 9A) in the 13 games, helped carry a line including Chandler Stephenson and Michael Amadio, and his pickpocketing superpower was on full display for the month Eichel was out.
Stone averaged 20:24 and was dominant in all phases of the games. He posted three even-strength goals, two on the power play, and two more shorthanded. He also scored a game-winning goal in shootout against St. Louis.
In a time of need, the captain raised his game.
Now, the time has come for Jack Eichel to do the same with Stone sidelined for an unknown length of time. In his first few attempts, that didn’t happen. In losses to Edmonton and Dallas, games in which Stone played just 3:57, Eichel was held pointless, posted a -5 rating, and recorded just two shots in 41 minutes of ice time. He was not on the ice for a single Golden Knights goal at any strength.
Eichel must improve not only his game but the play of those around him if the Golden Knights are going to have success without their captain.
While the numbers are limited that has not happened this season either.
The chart above shows four advanced statistics for the six Golden Knights defensemen with the most time on ice this season. They are all listed as “shares” meaning numbers above 50% are good while numbers below 50% are bad. The stats listed are on-ice Corsi For, Goals For, Expected Goals, and High Danger Chances and are all 5-on-5 only.
Mark Stone has been declared week-to-week and the Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli confirmed it’s once again an issue with his back. Dr. Pinegar helps us understand what is possibly going on medically and then we discuss where it leaves the Golden Knights in relation to the playoffs and the Stanley Cup.
Recap: The Golden Knights hosted former coach Pete DeBoer and the Dallas Stars for an MLK Day matinee. The Stars opened the scoring 5:45 into the 1st period and held on to a 1-0 lead after twenty minutes of play.
Dallas fought off several 2nd period attacks from Vegas, keeping the Golden Knights off the board for the second straight period. The Stars extended their lead to 2-0 before heading into the 2nd intermission.
The Stars extended their advantage in the final period to 4-0. The Golden Knights just couldn’t get their offense moving enough to get one by Dallas’ goalie Jake Oettinger.
The Golden Knights’ record drops to 28-15-2 losing to Stars 4-0. Vegas will try and break their losing streak on Thursday night against the Detroit Red Wings. Puck drop vs. Detroit is scheduled for 7 PM. (Recap by Jason)
Analysis: The Golden Knights played exactly the way you cannot play against a DeBoer team. Couldn’t find a way to get their forecheck going and it led to a listless performance the entire night. Very poor game. (Analysis by Ken)
Upcoming stories from the Vegas Golden Knights vs. Dallas Stars at T-Mobile Arena.
Recap: The Golden Knights hosted the high-powered Edmonton Oilers for their first of two matchups at T-Mobile Arena. Edmonton didn’t hesitate to take the opening lead of the game. The Oilers picked up a goal from former Golden Knight Mattias Janmark 0:45 into the 1st period. Less than a minute later the road team doubled their score to 2-0. Vegas got within one late in the period from depth forward Keegan Kolesar’s fifth goal of the season.
The offense picked up for both teams in the middle frame. Edmonton stretched their lead to 3-1 but Paul Cotter scored for Vegas to climb within a goal. Again, the Oilers took a two-goal lead, but Vegas made a late attack and William Karlsson fired one into the net with 0:42 left in the 2nd period.
Both teams tightened up and limited mistakes in the final period. Vegas had several chances but couldn’t find the game-tying goal.
The Golden Knights’ record drops to 28-14-2 falling to the Oilers 4-3. Vegas will look to bounce back on Monday afternoon as the team prepares to face former coach Pete DeBoer and the Dallas Stars. Puck drop against the Stars is scheduled for 3 PM. (Recap by Jason)
Analysis: The Golden Knights never stopped pushing to get themselves back into the game after the miserable first two minutes, they just couldn’t outrun their own mistakes. Far too often they made catastrophic mistakes against a very skilled team. That, and VGK’s 1st line was a complete no-show, which is rare. (Analysis by Ken)
Upcoming stories from the Vegas Golden Knights vs. Edmonton Oilers at T-Mobile Arena.
Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner and his wife Donya filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy with the District of Nevada on December 30th, 2022.
According to the public filing, Lehner estimates the worth of his assets between $1-10 million while his liability to creditors is between $10-50 million.
In the bankruptcy filing documents, Lehner is said to be the owner of RL Exotics LLC, “which operates a reptile farm in Plato, Missouri, which is an operating business with 3 employees, and which requires reptiles to be maintained and fed.”
Lehner was first linked to snakes back in 2017 when he reportedly purchased a collection of exotic snakes for $1.2 million.
Renick agreed to sell his snakes, ball pythons and anacondas, to NHL goalie Robin Lehner in early 2017 for $1.2 million. Lehner would pay Renick in quarterly installments of $200,000 throughout the year. Lehner made one such payment in February 2017. –Article by Lucas Geisler of KMIZ in St. Louis, Missouri
The man mentioned, Ben Renick, was murdered in June 2017 by his wife Lynlee Renick who was subsequently found guilty of the charges and sentenced to 16 years in prison. According to KMIZ, following Renick’s death, a lawsuit was filed against Lehner in 2018 after he stopped making payments for the snakes.
Lehner countersued in December of that year, claiming that he took on millions of dollars in costs taking care of Renick’s animals. At some point after Ben’s death, he said, the snakes “began breeding amongst one another in an unsupervised, uncontrolled manner.” That caused the collection of snakes to lose value, but Lehner’s attorneys did not specify by how much.
Renick Reptiles then claimed in July 2019 that at some point, Lehner “stole a collection of anacondas [from] Renick Reptiles’ place of business (as well as taking the collection of ball pythons that Lehner refused to pay for).” The lawsuit does not say how many snakes were allegedly taken.
The two sides suddenly announced a settlement in November 2019. A filing in the Montgomery County estate case from that August said the two sides had reached a settlement, but wanted to keep the terms of it confidential. Laiderman wrote that both sides wanted to “complete [Lehner]’s purchase of the [snakes].” –Article by Lucas Geisler of KMIZ in St. Louis, Missouri
In 2019, Lehner formed RL Exotics LLC and the company has been operating since.
Listed among the potentially interested parties in the bankruptcy filing include the Vegas Golden Knights, Black Knight Sports & Entertainment, the National Hockey League, Newport Sports Management, and a financial company called Sure Sports Lending.
Sure Sports Lending describes itself as an agency that “specializes in low-interest, unsecured loans and contract advances to Professional Athletes in the NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, NHL, and MLS based on their player contracts.”
This is the same company that was sued by the trustee assigned to oversee Evander Kane’s bankruptcy.
Sure Sports over 10 months crossing between 2018 and 2019 arranged nearly $14 million in loans to Kane, according to court filings. Kane in early 2021 filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, declaring $26.8 million in liabilities and unleashing an ongoing vitriolic process between creditors and the hockey star who recently signed with the Edmonton Oilers. Sure Sports itself filed as a creditor, seeking nearly $1.2 million it alleged Kane owed in fees. –Article by Daniel Kaplan in The Athletic
The article also links Sure Sports to defaulted loans with NFL running back Adrian Peterson and MLS left-back Kemar Lawrence.
The bankruptcy claims that Lehner’s debts are “primarily based on business debts that were incurred to help obtain money for a business or investment.”
In an email to SinBin.vegas, the attorney representing Robin Lehner says both the Golden Knights’ team counsel and creditors have been made aware of the bankruptcy filing.
We cannot let this pass without mentioning how insanely good Karlsson was on the forecheck in that OT. On the 2nd night of a B2B on the final day before the break, this man had so much more gas in the tank than every Isle.
