It’s not often we get to say this and actually mean it, for the Golden Knights tonight is truly a must-win. If Game 80 results in a loss to the Stars, the season will be over for the Golden Knights. If it happens in regulation, it truly is mathematically over, but even if it happens in OT, there will be no coming back for Vegas.
Here’s the good news. This season, these two teams have faced off twice and the Golden Knights were the victors in each. To get ready for tonight’s game, it seems wise to look back at the previous two to see who played, what went right, and what went wrong for the Golden Knights.
Lineups
October 27th, 2021 – at Dallas
Carrier-Stephenson-Krebs
Marchessault-Karlsson-Smith
Dadonov-Roy-Kolesar
Howden-Leschyshn-Miromanov
Hague-Pietrangelo
Martinez-Theodore
McNabb-Coghlan
Brossoit
December 8th, 2021 – vs Dallas
Pacioretty-Stephenson-Stone
Marchessault-Karlsson-Smith
Janmark-Roy-Dadonov
Carrier-Kolesar-Amadio
Hague-Pietrangelo
Theodore-Whitecloud
McNabb-Coghlan
Lehner
Projected for tonight
Pacioretty-Stephenson-Stone
Marchessault-Karlsson-Roy
Janmark-Eichel-Dadonov
Carrier-Amadio
Hutton-Pietrangelo
McNabb-Theodore
Martinez-Whitecloud
Coghlan
Thompson
In the last game, the home game in December, the Golden Knights were about as healthy as they’ve been all season, save for Eichel having yet to make his debut. The game in October however was a much more limited lineup missing both Pacioretty and Stone, and using Miromanov as a forward.
How the games went
October 27th, 2021 – at Dallas
Vegas conceded early, just 2:20 into the period, on a tipped goal from a shot from the point. The Golden Knights’ defensemen, McNabb and Coghlan, failed to get inside position and Luke Glendening had an easy tip-in chance to steer it past Brossoit. The Golden Knights tied almost instantaneously though as Shea Theodore intercepted a clearing attempt and threw the puck on net. It was stick-checked by a Stars player and fluttered along the ice towards the goalie who was fooled by the speed. A bit of a fluky goal.
Vegas allowed another tipped goal early in the 2nd and trailed for a majority of the game after that. Jonathan Marchessault ripped home a one-timer with the Vegas net empty to send the game to overtime. Evgenii Dadonov would win it in OT.
The game was dominated at even strength for the most part by the Stars who outshot Vegas 34-16, outchanced the Golden Knights 44-21, and racked up 16 high danger chances to VGK’s just seven. The final tally in expected goals was 3.03 to 0.9, yet the score showed 2-2 at the end of regulation.
Vegas could not keep the Stars away from the front of the net and needed the best game Laurent Brossoit has ever played as a Golden Knight to even keep them in it. It wasn’t pretty at all, but it was an OT victory in the end.
To be fair though, VGK were playing the 2nd night of a B2B, three games in four nights, and had travel issues getting into Dallas the night before/day of.
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