(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)
Tonight the Golden Knights will face an electric Florida Panthers team that won’t have trouble scoring. In their last ten games, the Panthers have 40 combined goals scored. Vegas on the other hand, has a total of 25. It well could be another one of those nights. We’re all hoping it’s not.
This is not how Vegas operates. Vegas isn’t fond about making excuses. Maybe management would look at it and say ‘we got thirty million dollars worth of players that are wearing suits.’ I don’t know if the owner looks at it that way. -Jeff Marek on 32 Thoughts Podcast
Of course, fans would rather the Golden Knights compete for a Stanley Cup this postseason but it seems like a hopeless dream at this point. Vegas has been devastated with injuries and there’s no doubting that. The Golden Knights’ goal of reaching the Stanley Cup Finals may have unfortunately been upended by the injury bug. It’s an excuse, but some would argue it’s a darn good excuse.
Look at how much money you’ve got in injured reserve or long term injured reserve. Between all of those guys you’re over $30 million dollars out of the lineup. -Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts Podcast
Most injuries are uncontrollable and an unfortunate element of professional sports. Sadly, some teams cannot make up for impactful players getting hurt and missing significant amounts of time. It’s unlikely the Golden Knights will never be fully healthy this season. Even if the club makes a remarkable run to the finals it won’t be enough time for each injury to completely heal. Don’t get me wrong, if Mark Stone and Alec Martinez are available in the playoffs they will dress. They may not be 100% healthy but they will play their tuchuses off.
Realistically, it probably wouldn’t be enough to eliminate Calgary, Colorado, or Tampa Bay in a seven-game series. So, what’s wrong with planning ahead?
The question is, what are the front office and ownership going to say? Is this simply a manner of ‘we’ve got guys out and we have to wait until they come back.’ Or are they going to say ‘that’s irrelevant, we don’t care that there’s guys out of the lineup. We have to play better.’ That’s where you start to wonder what does that mean exactly. -Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts Podcast
Without telling us, the front office may have come to terms with this season. It’s tough to overcome lengthy injuries to Stone, Martinez, Robin Lehner, Max Pacioretty, and more. Like all of us, the organization is aware the current Golden Knights lineup is not a Cup contender. At least for this season.
I think they’ve pretty patient here because I do think they’ve recognized what they’re dealing with. If you were going to look at an organization and say ‘they might throw a real curveball at us here,’ like a shocker that we’re not seeing, Vegas would be one of those teams.- Friedman, 32 Thoughts Podcast
Best guess is Golden Knights management and ownership turn the page and come back with the same coaches and core of players next season. Nolan Patrick wasn’t an upgrade down the middle and Evgenii Dadonov hasn’t fixed the power play. Jack Eichel does both. It’s possible the front office quickly realized the 2021-22 version wasn’t the deepest team in franchise history and they needed a major upgrade on the top line. That era will begin in October.
This is the ruthless pursuit of the Stanley Cup. Someone can help us, great we’ll throw someone else over the side of the boat to bring you in. I don’t think for a second that ownership looks at this is and says ‘yeah, this is why we’re losing.’ I think ownership probably looks at this and says ‘why are we losing?’ -Marek on 32 Thoughts Podcast
The trade deadline is on Monday and it’s unknown as to what Vegas is thinking. Is it possible they believe enough in their team to buy? Or take advantage of a sinking ship and sell for profits. The third option is to stand pat.
There’s a case for each one. What’s your choice?
Danny Gallivan
oh, and look at the schedule folks.
tonight
Dallas at Mtl
Edm home vs Buffalo
Van home vs Detroit
VGK home vs Florida
who has the toughest opponent?
easily by far the VGK do
thus, it is not a stretch to say that the VGK will be further out of the picture after tonight’s games.
it’s over folks. they should be sellers this weekend and over the summer.
but , absolutely fire PDB and Spott.
take their stupid 1-3-1 trap and pitiful PP and stick it up their sun don’t shine.
and retool with big, young, aggressive guys who will battle in front of either net, and will get greasy goals, not fancy passes.
JockEnvy
Tonight will be telling for what and who needs to go at the deadline or the summer. If they can’t get up to face a top tier opponent with their back against the wall, this team will look very different by the time we drop the puck this fall.
knights fan in minny
i think the squad gets waxed tonight
THE hockey GOD
Sravasti Dasgupta
Thu, March 17, 2022, 2:52 AM·2 min read
The combined might of professional Ukrainian soldiers and local volunteers in a strategic town located in the south of Ukraine defeated a far greater Russian force looking to seize control.
The town of Voznesensk would have given Russia a gateway to the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant and a path to attack Odesa from the back, reported The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.
Instead, a two-day battle that began on 2 March between the Russians and Ukrainians in the town turned the tide against the former.
Russian troops had left behind nearly 30 of their 43 vehicles including tanks, armoured personnel carriers, multiple-rocket launchers and trucks, according to Ukrainian officials, who added that they had downed an Mi-24 attack helicopter as well.
Russian troops retreated more than 40 miles to the southeast, where they continue to face fierce resistance from other Ukrainian troops.
Local officials said 10 Russian troops who had dispersed in the forests had been captured.
Officials added that, according to their estimates, 100 Russian troops died in Voznesensk.
Vadym Dombrovsky, commander of the Ukrainian special-forces reconnaissance group in the area who is also a Voznesensk resident, said Russian troops did not expect the Ukrainians to be strong.
“We didn’t have a single tank against them, just rocket-propelled grenades, Javelin missiles and the help of artillery,” he told WSJ.
“The Russians didn’t expect us to be so strong. It was a surprise for them. If they had taken Voznesensk, they would have cut off the whole south of Ukraine.”
Russian troops advancement was stopped, according to Voznesensk’s mayor Yevheni Velichko, by working with local businessmen who dug up the shores of the Mertvovod river that cuts through the town so armoured personnel vehicles couldn’t go past.
This map shows the extent of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (Press Association Images)
This map shows the extent of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (Press Association Images)
Quarry and construction business owners were brought in to block off streets and channel the Russian column into areas that would be easier to hit with artillery.
Russian soldiers also took up civilians homes and used them to set up sniper positions.
Volunteers with territorial defence force worked with the Ukrainian military to give coordinates that would help direct military fire towards the Russians.
Officials said that though the town of 35,000 people were mostly Russian speakers, there was widespread support against the invasion of Ukraine which helped their fight.
“Everyone is united against the common enemy,” Mr Velichko was quoted as saying.
“We are defending our own land. We are at home.”
When the Russian troops retreated from the area, residents have returned to their homes.
Voznesensk district council Spartak Hukasian said the city was no longer near front lines and was limping back to normalcy.
“He who laughs last laughs best,” he said.
“We haven’t had a chance to laugh until now.”
THE hockey GOD
Jason has put a string of really good articles together. kudos.
And of course , out of the woodwork the woodpeckers will be chirping it’s all this or that or other guy’s fault.
Henderson One
Patches is injury prone and on the downside of his career, Stone may have a career ending injury and Martinez’s career may be over. Total rebuild around Eichel required. PBD and FO needs to be relieved as they have put us in this position. As soon as season over begin with a new management and coaching team to rebuild this franchise. Foley’s dream of a Stanley Cup is over as he stood by and watched Rome burn.
THE hockey GOD
FO , or no one, but GOD, put players in position ‘to be injured”. That is pure whack o mole projection of epic scale. Mole, like in whacked, like in fucked up, not even close to consumption. Which gauc a mole. is. Out in left field mole. Whacked, jacked, cracked and slapped into outer space, Jack a mole.
Personally I prefer the “holy mole” that Fred left in bowl, in which Julio’s goat ate by mistake when he. Well. The rest goes something like this.
Home alone with his ‘holy moley,’ in walks Julio’s pet goat Chico to partake of the bowl, after which Fred witnesses a robbery taking place next Where he sees nothing, and knows nothing.
Henderson One
You may feel comfortable with PDB but many of us aren’t. His history is not one of improving the performance of teams over the years but of destroying teams.
JockEnvy
Nailed it!
Blitz
–I am not comfortable with Peter any where near me.
–I knew the moment Peter was inserted into the Knights disease would follow.
–My Shark friends warned me that Peter will fuck everything and then leave.
–I think Peter is too soft. If he would get harder we would score more often.
Anybody else want in on this? C’mon now. How about this ‘Does every Peter have a Spott?’
mcart
another sign that the team has quit on the coach is the “he is out longer than expected on injury list” syndrome.
Now, it’s more like “where can I hide until this nightmare is over” response from the players.
THE hockey GOD
jack a mole
THE hockey GOD
another loss projected for tonight as it is likely hague is out; team is trying to give AHLers nHL experience. I put in parenthesis their normal playing lines in my experience, taking into account some players playing out of position. (5) means they are not performing at NHL level nor close to it. AHL means they belong in , well AHL. As you can see by ratings we only have two legit first liners, no second liners on forward, one on D, and team full of complete misfits in regard to their stations on the ice based upon past month’s worth of performance. They have no number 2 or number 3 lines, their number one line is barely functional. Their defensive pairs are jumble up mess. Their goal tender is struggling under water.
Need a miracle to turn this around. Getting two players back Howden and Janmark, losing two players to AHL no. 15 and no. 46
Marchessault(3) —Eichel (1) —Karlsson(3)
Carrier(4) —Stephenson(2) —Roy(4)
Dadonov(5)—Patrick(5)—Janmark(4)
Amadio(4)—Howden(4)—Kolesar(4)
Coghlan(4)—Pietrangelo(1)
Theodore(3)—Whitecloud(2)
Pachal(AHL)—Miromanov(AHL)
Brossoit(3)
bench LT (AHL)
March 17, 2022
Reply
THE hockey GOD
Jesse Granger
@JesseGranger_
·
26m
At this point all signs point to Robin Lehner’s latest injury being a significant one.
I hesitate to put a timeline on it, because of the uncertainty, but it’s very possible he misses the rest of the regular season.
>>>my opinion . If FO thinks they have a post season position in mind, they will make a move for a goalie before trade deadline and over pay. IF not, they will wait until off season when the trade deadline high ‘buying’ prices are off the table. Either way it looks like RL is damaged goods, and likely done as VGK.
knights fan in minny
i blame them ugly gold helmets saw stormy today on nhl network
CJ
You guys are stupid Vegas is the deepest team in the NHL and have already started their massive comeback. They will win the cup once Lehner is healthy. They will win tonight.
knights fan in minny
are you the imposter you sure have a big mouth calling all of us stupid
LVsc
VGK signed veteran minor leaguer dman Derrick Pouliot of the HSK to an nhl contract
big whoop de doo
Blitz
I actually like Pouliot and thought he was decent in preseason. More stable/polished than the other HSK dmen. I used to watch him in minors so I had more interest than most people here to watch him. In juniors he was a force. I really thought he would become a good middle pairing NHL dman, but just another player whose skills didn’t translate to the NHL. Not really sure what this contract means. Is he going to come up and make up for more injuries?
James Scouten
There’s a difference between an explanation and an excuse.
Injuries are an explanation.
THE hockey GOD
what’s an excuse ?
LVsc
Dallas won and moved ahead of the Vgk in points.
and Edm is ahead of Buffalo 2-0 already
Galdom
There’s no need to scoreboard watch. It’s already over. They are not going to all of a sudden win 80% of their games with a severely depleted lineup with some of the worst goaltenders (Brossoit and Thompson) I’ve ever seen in my life.
Barney
Should have kept fleury.
Too bad mcCriminal and deboring had a hissy fit after the major that wasn’t
JockEnvy
This is getting so old
Mark
I’m watching the Florida game, Eichel just got hurt, can anyone stay healthy for more than 1/2 game ? WTF !!!!!!!!!!!