Recap: The Golden Knights returned home from their five-game road trip to host the Arizona Coyotes. The game started off slow with neither team finding the back of the net in the opening twenty minutes.
Vegas outshot Arizona 7-to-5 but the game remained scoreless after 40 minutes remaining. Arizona opened the scoring midway through the final period and sealed the game with a late empty-net goal.
The Golden Knights record drops to 14-5-2 falling to 2-0 to the Coyotes. The reigning champions will hit the road again with their first step being Calgary on Monday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:30 PM. (Recap by Jason)
Analysis: Bit of a sleepy game for a majority of it as both teams seemed unwilling or unable to get to the center of the ice in the offensive zone. The offense never really got going until it was too late. A single home game after a long trip is always tough, but losing to the Coyotes is never great. (Analysis by Ken)
Upcoming stories from the Vegas Golden Knights vs. Arizona Coyotes at T-Mobile Arena.
Recap: The Golden Knights hosted the Arizona Coyotes on Friday night for preseason game #4. The World Champions outshot the Coyotes 9 to 3 in the opening period but neither team could find the back of the net. Arizona struck first quickly into the middle frame, but Nic Hague evened the score midway through. 2020 29th overall pick Brendan Brisson gave his club the lead with 0:15 seconds remaining.
Vegas continued to pepper shots at Arizona’s net, specifically from the blue line. Nic Hague, Kaeden Korczak and Shea Theodore all delivered 4 or more SOG.
The Golden Knights picked up their first victory of the preseason and now prepare for their final three exhibition games. The Golden Knights will welcome in the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM. (Recap by Jason)
Analysis: Brendan Brisson power play goal, William Karlsson empty netter, and the Coyotes shot the puck like 10 times the whole game. That’s really all there was to know about this game. (Recap by Ken)
Recap: The Golden Knights traveled to Arizona for a battle with the Coyotes. The home team jumped ahead first 1:59 into the contest. Vegas had a chance to tie the game on the power play but Paul Cotter committed a penalty that negated the man advantage. After 20 minutes Vegas trailed 1-0.
Arizona doubled their lead early in the middle frame. The Coyotes ripped a shot by Logan Thompson to give themselves a 2-0 edge. Arizona committed some costly penalties in the period and Phil Kessel took notice. The Iron Man collected his 8th goal of the season to bring his team within one.
Trailing 2-1, the Golden Knights made a final push but the Coyotes regained their two-goal lead midway through the 3rd period. With five minutes left in the game, coach Bruce Cassidy pulled his goalie which led to Arizona’s 4th and final goal. The Golden Knights lost 4-1 and left Tempe empty-handed.
The Golden Knights’ record drops to 29-17-2 falling to the Coyotes 4-1. Vegas will continue the road trip next in New Jersey on Tuesday. Puck drop against the Devils is scheduled for 4:30 PM. (Recap by Jason)
Analysis: The first few minutes of each period were a big problem and that put them in a hole. From there, Arizona read the book on how to beat the Golden Knights and they put it into action at 5-on-5. When the other team has good gaps and make VGK forecheck, they just can’t seem to generate with any consistency. It happened again, and Clayton Keller did the rest. That loss really sucks because it erases last night’s big win. (Analysis by Ken)
Upcoming stories from the Vegas Golden Knights vs. Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena.
Recap: The Golden Knights were looking to bounce back at home facing the 25-point Arizona Coyotes team. Vegas was the more aggressive team in the opening frame, outshooting Arizona 13 to 4. However, neither were able to find the back of the net and the 1st period ended in a scoreless tie.
Vegas opened the scoring on their first power play of the 2nd period. Daniil Miromanov registered his second goal of the season but Arizona answered 1:18 later. After 40 minutes the game was locked in a 1-1 tie.
The offense picked up in the final period. Mark Stone and William Carrier scored a minute apart to stretch Vegas lead to 3-1. The Coyotes got within one but Stone added his second and later Michael Amadio put the game away.
The Golden Knights record improves to 23-11-1 defeating the Coyotes 5-2. Vegas next hits the ice Friday night against St. Louis. Puck drop against the Blues is scheduled for 7 PM. (Recap by Jason)
Analysis: The dam finally broke in the 3rd period. VGK were excellent in the 1st but it felt like more of the same as they were unable to convert. Vegas got the power play goal in the 2nd but the play at even-strength was fairly even, if not tipped in favor of Arizona. It all came together in the 3rd though. Power play goals, shorthanded, rush chances, you name it, VGK got it. It definitely feels a bit cathartic… at least for now as it’s hard to forget this was against the Coyotes. (Analysis by Ken)
Last night Vegas missed out on a golden opportunity to stash away more money in the bank before their busy season begins. So what, they lost to Buffalo. It’s only one game and a win tomorrow would keep Vegas on pace to cross the 50-point mark by year-end. We’ll get into January later, but for right now the Golden Knights have four more games to focus on in 2022.
Starting tomorrow night, the Golden Knights are set to play statistically some of the league’s worst defenses and offenses. Putting it lightly, the remaining schedule is as soft as Santa’s beard.
Some would argue that St. Louis and LA aren’t walkovers and they tend to get up for games against Vegas. However, both are struggling to keep the puck out of their own nets and have two of the worst penalty kill units in the league. The Golden Knights will likely attack the net knowing there are holes in each team’s defense. If it plays out, Vegas should be in a position to expose weaknesses in LA & St. Louis’ special teams. Both clubs are manageable but it won’t be as easy as the Golden Knights other two opponents.
At the end of the NHL regular season when teams are planning for the postseason or the golf course, it’s unlikely for the players, coaches and managers to huddle around and go over how they reached their fate. For losing clubs, it’s a quick clean out of their lockers and get out of dodge to their summer destinations. For the fortunate 16, they’re preparing for a potentially long run in the playoffs. However, for prognostication purposes, it is important to note how successful teams got to their ultimate goals.
After last night’s 2-1 OT victory over the hapless Philadelphia Flyers, Vegas extended their Western Conference best record to 41 points. It wasn’t the prettiest, but a win is a win when fighting for a seat in the playoffs.
When you break down how the Golden Knights picked up their points, you’ll notice that they’re taking care of business when facing lesser competitors. This is exactly what all playoff hopefuls do throughout a long 82-game regular season. Call it bum slaying, padding stats, or anything you’d like but those points are vital to any team fighting for the postseason.
Points from Non-Contenders: (22)
10/13: VGK 1 vs CHI 0
10/25: VGK 4 @ SJ 2
10/28: VGK 4 vs ANA 0
11/03: VGK 5 @ OTT 4
11/05: VGK 6 @ MTL 4
11/10: VGK 7 @ BUF 4
11/17: VGK 4 vs ARI 1
11/21: VGK 5 @ VAN 4
11/23: VGK 4 vs OTT 1
11/28: VGK 3 @ CBJ 2
12/03: VGK 4 @ DET 1
12/08: VGK 2 vs PHI 1
Now to be fair, the Golden Knights have not taken advantage of all low-level opponents. Vegas lost three times to inferior lineups, all occurring at T-Mobile Arena. For the most part, all three were uncompetitive and the Golden Knights lost by a total of eight goals. In the trio of games, the road team scored two or more goals that went unanswered by Vegas. It’s okay to have a stinker but several at home vs sub .500 teams are wasting VGK fans’ hard-earned money. Thankfully, Jonathan Marchessault didn’t let that happen again last night in OT.
Missed Points From Non-Contenders (6)
11/12: STL 3 @ VGK 2
11/15: SJ 5 @ VGK 2
11/26: VAN 5 @ VGK 1
For Vegas to keep up their 104-point pace they’ll need continue bullying inept franchises crashing for Connor Bedard. Half of the teams in the NHL have roster weaknesses and are capable of exposing on a nightly basis. Through 29 games, the Golden Knights have jumped on mistakes, ill-timed penalties, poor goaltending, and turnovers. It’s been the team’s identity all season under coach Bruce Cassidy. In addition to their 22 “bum slaying” points, Vegas will have 15 more opportunities against the league’s worst to cushion their conference and divisional lead.
Now of course the NHL is a professional league with incredibly skilled players. Even the worst organizations have the ability to defeat star-studded lineups. Just ask the Boston Bruins, who lost to the Arizona Coyotes last night in Arizona. That’ll wake up a team. Hopefully, not by Sunday evening.
Recap: The Golden Knights were looking to snap their two-game losing streak against the Central Division’s Arizona Coyotes. Vegas had two power play opportunities, but Arizona fought them off and kept the game scoreless through 20 minutes.
The Coyotes continued to frustrate the Golden Knights in the middle frame however they kept committing penalties. Alex Pietrangelo took advantage of the 5-on-4 and gave Vegas the opening lead of the game. After 40 minutes the home team was ahead 1-0.
William Carrier doubled Vegas’ lead :31 second into the 3rd period. The depth winger scored his 4th goal of the season to give VGK a 2-0 advantage. Mark Stone stretched Vegas’ lead to 3-0, picking up his sixth goal of the season. Arizona would break the shutout with a 3rd period goal of their own but Reilly Smith regained Vegas’ three goal lead.
The Golden Knights record improves to 14-4-0 defeating the Coyotes 4-1. Vegas will hit the road to play the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks. Puck drop in Edmonton is scheduled for 7P PT on Saturday night. (Recap by Jason)
Analysis: It wasn’t the prettiest game for the Golden Knights but they definitely played well enough to get across the line against a terrible team. It took a few individual efforts, solid goaltending, and decent in-zone defense to get it done. Nothing to be too excited about but take the points. (Recap by Ken)
Recap: The Golden Knights and Arizona Coyotes met for their preseason finales up in Idaho. It didn’t take long before Chandler Stephenson gave his team the opening lead with his third exhibition goal. 75 seconds later Nic Roy added to VGK’s lead. With five minutes left in the period Jonathan Marchessaault scored to extend Vegas’ lead 3-0. Arizona scored late in the period to get within two.
The 2nd period was uneventful with neither team finding the back of the net.
Vegas turned it on offensively in the final period, receiving goals from Jack Eichel and Alex Pietrangelo. The two veterans gave their team a commanding 5-1 lead as they closed out the preseason.
The Golden Knights finish the preseason 4-2-1 as they prepare for the 2022-23 season opener in LA on Tuesday night. The game is scheduled for 7 PM. (Recap by Jason)
Analysis: The preseason is over! Real games are next. Thank goodness. Oh, and VGK were actually pretty good in this game.(Recap by Ken)
Recap: The Golden Knights looked to bounce back from Friday’s 7-3 loss against the San Jose Sharks. Vegas hosted the Arizona Coyotes for their final preseason game at T-Mobile Arena.
The home team got off to a fast start as Zach Hayes scored twice to give his team a 2-0 advantage.
The Coyotes managed to tie the game 2-2 quickly in the middle frame.
Vegas came out determined in the final period taking the lead on Pavel Dorofeyev’s first preseason goal. Late down the stretch, William Karlsson broke a 3-3 tie to clinch the game in favor of the Golden Knights.
Vegas won their second preseason match 4-3 with a couple of games remaining. The local team will travel for two games, playing in Utah and Idaho before heading to LA for the season opener against the Kings. Thursday night’s preseason game in Salt Lake City is scheduled for 6 PM. (Recap by Jason)
Analysis: The Golden Knights were halfway decent in the 1st, capitalizing on a few Coyote mistakes. They were a complete trainwreck in the 2nd. Things improved in the 3rd, especially in transition where VGK won the game with a pair of goals. (Recap by Ken)
Recap: The Golden Knights got off to a quick start taking a 2-0 lead in the first 6:40 of the game. Zach Whitecloud opened the scoring with his seventh of the season and Max Pacioretty added his 16th in his first game back from injury. Arizona cut the lead in half trailing Vegas 2-1 into the first intermission.
Evgenii Dadonov gave his team a 3-1 advantage just :38 seconds into the middle frame. The Golden Knights played well defensively and received timely goaltending from Robin Lehner.
Brayden McNabb extended Vegas’ lead in the final period scoring his third of the season. Jake Leschyshyn scored his second of the year and Jack Eichel recorded his 11th as a Golden Knight.
The Golden Knights record improves to 40-29-4 defeating the Coyotes 6-1. Vegas picks up another two points to total 84 with nine games remaining. The team will travel to Vancouver for their last divisional meeting with the Canucks on Tuesday night. Puck drop is set for 7 PM. (Recap by Jason)
Analysis: Vegas didn’t even really have its best stuff and it was still plenty to get past one of the worst hockey teams the NHL has seen since VGK have been in the league. 2 points is 2 points though, just ask Dallas. (Recap by Ken)
Upcoming stories from the Vegas Golden Knights vs. Arizona Coyotes at T-Mobile Arena.
(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)
(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)
