After adding Derek Stepan, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Antti Raanta to a young, dynamic forward corps, Arizona looked poised to take a great leap forward in the standings this year.
It's not happening yet, as the Golden Knights spoiled the Coyotes' home opener 2-1. It's the first winning streak in franchise history, as the expansion side eked out a victory in their debut last night in Dallas.
So on the second half of a road back-to-back against a fresher team, Vegas outshot Arizona 44-28. They also outattempted the home team at 5v5 56-43.
"I loved the way we played," asserted Coach Gerard Gallant, "the second period was an outstanding period for us."
ARI has late surge, but this is best period #VGK has played so far this season. Nothing to show for it though
Improbably, the 2-0 Golden Knights ride atop the Pacific Division another night.
Winning Play
Nate Schmidt starts the play and James Neal finishes, but it's David Perron who dominates the game-winning OT shift:
For 16 seconds and in spite of Oliver Ekman-Larsson's best efforts, Perron held the puck as if it were on a string, eventually drawing Anthony Duclair and Derek Stepan's gaze, which left Neal free.
Pluses
Tonight was Nate Schmidt's coming-out party as a Golden Knight.
After high expectations and an up-and-down pre-season, where he appeared as if he might be trying to do too much, Schmidt showcased his entire catalog of skills, especially in the middle frame.
"As the game went on, I thought we did a really good job of just getting our pucks up ice," said the gregarious blueliner. "For me, that's when I'm playing my best when I'm being confident, moving the puck up the ice, joining the second layer of attack."
Besides the obvious speed, it's a great read by Schmidt, who seems to realize Max Domi is caught flat-footed in the neutral zone. There's also a clever use of his stick that even NHL veteran Shane Hnidy has never seen.
Jordan Martinook attacks Schmidt, who uses quick feet and a smart stick to execute tight gap control.
Once again, skating is at the forefront for Schmidt, but he also establishes body position on the presumably stronger Brendan Perlini, who has a couple inches and almost 20 pounds on the 6'1" defender.
Schmidt also moved the puck crisply and got his shot through with some authority tonight.
"He played a great game," beamed Gallant. "It's the best game I've seen him play.
"He looked real confident."
The challenge for the 26-year-old defenseman, as it is for so many would-be stars, is consistency. But tonight set his bar.
Gallant echoed the sentiment, "I hope he can play like that every night."
Schmidt says he's moving into his new house tomorrow. What a housewarming gift! #VGK#VegasBorn
Fleury continued his torrid start, stopping 27 of 28 shots. The franchise face is sitting pretty with a .973 save percentage right now.
While Vegas dominated the shot counter, Fleury beat back a barrage of quality chances. 5v5 scoring chances ended at 29 apiece, and counting all situations, the Coyotes actually owned an 14-13 high-danger edge.
Minuses
Vegas was once again blanked on the power play. They're 0-11 for the season. While the Golden Knights peppered Raanta with nine shots on the man advantage, they only recorded one 5v4 high-danger scoring chance. An extended 5v3 also wasn't particularly threatening.
Even undefeated, there's no doubt that Vegas would benefit from the presences of Vadim Shipachyov and Shea Theodore. Both offer value on the man advantage, and the mobile Theodore would help balance defensive pairings.
Strangely, Shipachyov did not suit up for Chicago once again. Gallant wouldn't offer any clues about the Russian's status:
Asked Gallant about Shipachyov's status about an hour ago. Shipachyov is not playing for Chicago tonight either: pic.twitter.com/LNNqld4ksp
It's hard to believe that Shipachyov, who is featured on local billboards promoting the new team, might miss the home opener this Tuesday for reasons unknown. The assumption is that the Golden Knights would want to put their best foot forward in their Las Vegas debut.
But then again, who thought Shipachyov would miss the first game in franchise history?
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