Frustration is a huge part of hockey. No matter how well a team is playing, there will come points in every season where a game just does not seem to be going the right way. The Golden Knights faced that last night as they fell behind the Philadelphia Flyers and couldn’t seem to find their way back.
At the end of the 2nd period, Vegas had attempted 43 shots yet only 15 made it to the goalie. They were struggling to navigate a gummed-up neutral zone, and the Flyers’ physical brand of hockey was forcing a much tighter game than the Golden Knights had been used to early this season.
However, these Golden Knights aren’t like most teams in the NHL. As reigning Stanley Cup champions, they’ve seen it all, and a few tough periods will not discourage them.
We trust our game. Sometimes we get away from it but we are a veteran group and we’ve been together long enough that we know when to pull it in and get back to what we do best. We’ve done a good job of that these first seven games. -Brayden McNabb
3rd period dominance has been a theme as Vegas has raced out to the best start as a defending champion in NHL history. Last night, they made a few adjustments in the final intermission, came out, and started applying endless pressure on the Philadephia net until the dam eventually broke.
The 2-0 3rd period score ups VGK’s goal differential to +8 in the final frame over seven games. The Golden Knights have outscored their opponents in six of the first seven 3rd periods with the lone outlier a 1-1 tie against Dallas.
You just keep pushing and you believe you are going to come back even when you are down. We just trust it because there’s no crystal ball telling you what’s going to happen so you just have to do what we do best and it’s worked out so far. -McNabb
A huge reason why it has worked out is the variety of players Vegas has seen step up in the 3rd period of games. Brayden Pachal, Jonas Rondbjerg, Nic Roy, and now Paul Cotter have all scored late-game goals to help the Golden Knights win. Sure, Jack Eichel and William Karlsson have come up with a few big ones too, but it truly can be anyone on any night for this team.
Sometimes you need one guy to go in and make a move like that and it’s pretty on par with what he’s done in practice so it’s great to see him get it done. -Theodore on Cotter’s goal
The train keeps rolling on Friday afternoon with a rematch with the feisty Chicago Blackhawks. There may not be a crystal ball to tell us the outcome of that game, but if the Golden Knights keep playing like they have in the 3rd period, we may not need one to know.
Emmanuel
The biggest reason they keep “pushing back” is because the D gets airtight in the 3rd! Bodes well for the playoffs in fact they are better designed for the post-season. The only question remaining is, are the young F’s reliable defensively? I’m also curious on how they can improve in the post season, barring injury I don’t see the need to add a player.
HOCKEYDIVA
Last nights 3rd was a testament to the KNIGHTS perseverance. Keep fighting until the last buzzer sounds.
Makes me proud im a KNIGHTS FAN
Pistol Pete
It’s tempting to think Amadio and Howden are the weak links in the four lines, “effective enough” passengers who contribute by playing physical, forechecking and winning puck battles, in other words what they lack in points production they make up for by being an effective cog in the wheel on each of their lines. While Howden in the regular season produced a pedestrian 6 G/7 A in 54 games and Amadio in the regular season produced his best by far with 16 G (yes that is 16 goals)/11 A in 67 games what really set their seasons apart were the playoffs where Howden got 5 G/5 A in 22 games and Amadio 5 G/6 A in 17 games. Their playoff contributions for sure set them up as non-scratches heading into this season. Injuries to either aside, could that change ie. one or the other is scratched to take a closer look at Dorofeyev for example?
It’s tough to break into this roster as a forward and so far Cotter has led the way over Dorofeyev. Though 7 games is a small sample Cotter’s 2 G/3 A must have turned Cassidy’s head. We’ll see if he can keep it going and become a bonafide north of half a point a game a player. And if so, can Dorofeyev do it too? Where would that leave Howden and Amadio, and this assuming Cotter and Dorofeyev each bring a sufficient level of physicality. Cotter is closer to that than Dorofeyev.
Cotter-Karlsson-Dorofeyev with all three north of 50 pts in the regular season or thereabouts? Karlsson could really use two high scoring wingers.
Pistol Pete
The above scenario has Amadio scratched for Dorofeyev as the RW with Karlsson. Amadio would have to really go flat for that to happen and I’m sure Cassidy would not want to scratch him for the message that would send, but then maybe he would depending. In any event we are probably a ways from that happening unless Amadio goes out injured (not wishing that!).
Pistol Pete
By the way this season:
Howden: 1 G/2 A in 5 games (with his 2 game suspension)
Amadio: 1 G/2 A in 7 games
Small samples but relative to their career averages, a good start, Howden in particular.
Emmanuel
Howden is their 14th or 15th best F.
Pistol Pete
As I make the case above, Howden and Amadio are effective passengers on lines #2 and 3. The first and 4th lines do not have passengers. Howden and Amadio made exceptional contributions in the playoffs each getting at least one game winning goal. Their regular season career points/game are almost identical (Howden .30 Amadio .29). In the Cup run Amadio was a remarkable .65 pts/game and Howden was .45 pts/game both well above their career averages. As I mentioned each earned their new season spots on the roster. Amadio was actually scratched for five of the playoff games. It seems unlikely Cassidy will scratch Amadio to try Dorofeyev as Karlsson’s right wing but it would be wonderful to see Cotter-Karlsson-Dorofeyev work due to the youth of the two prospective wingers.
THE hockey GOD
i will be doing a comparison of strat from year one VEGAS team to winning
SC cup team. Will start with goalies. Then move to forwards, then D men.
TS
The Comeback Kids NEVER give up. NEVER fold ’em. That is CONFIDENCE— in themselves, their mates, their coach, their ability to overcome ANY obstacle–what a team !!
THE hockey GOD
Ok, I finished the inaugural VGK season to Stanley Cup winning season team to team comparison based upon strat o matic stats for each of these seasons.
For non goalies Strat uses a myriad of factors from shooting tendencies to passing to pass assists to outside/inside/rebound & breakaway/ penetration abilities, penalty ratings, intimidation (puck take away), defense, to offense/defense ratings.
I will focus only on what I consider the major factors in non goalie comparisons: intimidation, offense , defense, defense (on pk), and pass assist factor ratings.
There is no overall individual power play “rating”, this is reflected on individual drill down on individual player cards but this factor is reflected in offense rating. So the players name will be listed below for each season, on the left is the inaugural season and on the right is last seasons player ratings. In parenthesis will be the I rating on scale of 1 to 20). O/D (1 to 5), (D aka pk D rating if different from D rating) and passing assists (higher number the better).
Player name (I rating, O/D ratings, (D pk rating if different than D, Pass Assist rating).
As you can see with Marchy his o/d rating went from 4/4 to 4/2 this past year and his intimidation rating went from 6 to 5.
I don’t have ratings for players that were injured and missed more games
than other players (e.g. Carrier, Whitecloud, and some of the season 1 players
names who escape me at this point, like Hunt, sbsisa, etc.)
Let’s start with forwards
Marchy (6 4/4 (1) 6) ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Marchy (5 4/2 (1) 4)
Karlsson (1 4/4 4),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Karl (3 4/2 (3) 4)
Smith ….. (4 4/4 5),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Smith (4 4/4 (3) 4)
Neal ……(3 4/4 (2) 2),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Stephson ( 5 3/4 (3) 6)
Haula (4 4/2 (1) 3),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Eichel (3 4/2 (1) 6)
Perron (7 3/2 (1) 6),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Stone (10 4/4 (2) 5)
Tuch (5 4/2 (1) 3)…………………………Barby (6 3/1 (2) 3)
Eakin (4 2/2 (3) 2),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Roy (6 3/2 2)
Tatar (4 4/1 2),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,amadio (5 3/2 (1) 2)
Reeves (12 1/1 1),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Kolesar (14 1/1 1)
Bellemar (4 2/4 1),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Phil the Thrill (0 3/2 2)
Tallies
Season 2017-8
intimidation 54 offense rating 36 defense rating 28
adjusted for PK defense rating 15 passing/assists rating 35
Season 2022-3
intimidation 62 offense rating 36 defense rating 26
adjusted for PK defense rating 21 passing/assists rating 40
So comparing now to then: intimidation improved dramatically, offense same, defense,PK improved, and passing assist rating improved. Slight advantage
to 22-23 team.
Will do Defense pairs next.
When I get the computer ratings I will adjust for
missing players
THE hockey GOD
error Neal o/d is 4/2 not 4/4 as listed
take aways
note kolesar is rated as higher intimidator than reeves was
Eichel over the entire year was just about as good as haula,but eichel
is much better as pass assister.
as top six forward Barby, as we have seen this year, needs
to improve his defensive skills being rated as a 1, hardly
a step up from Smith. So the other PK need to fill Smith’s role on
forward position. Cotter ??