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VGK Takes Debut; Small Plays by Smith & Miller Make for Big Win

October 7, 2017, 2:55 AM ET [5 Comments]
Sheng Peng
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DALLAS -- It looked like the Stars' game to lose.

Late in the middle frame, when Tyler Seguin broke a scoreless tie on the man advantage, it seemed like a just reward for the home side's domination up to that point:




However, in an emotional tilt which was both the expansion team's NHL debut, and hopefully, some small joy for a healing city, Vegas clawed back with two third period markers to edge Dallas 2-1.

Winning Play

Halfway into the final frame, despite just a one-goal cushion, the Stars looked to be in control. But after being smothered for the better part of two periods, the Golden Knights were beginning to put together cleaner 5v5 zone entries.

Then Reilly Smith, off a defensive zone faceoff, took advantage of, of all people, Marc Methot:



This 2-on-1 kicked off a chain of events which culminated with the James Neal tying goal.

"We noticed that their D were playing a little bit offensive, a little closer to the faceoff dot," said Smith. "We just tried to get out there fast. The puck just ending up popping out."

Pluses

Of course, Marc-Andre Fleury kept Vegas in the game, making 45 saves, many spectacular.




It was easy to think of an 18-year-old Fleury's NHL debut 14 years ago, when he stopped 46 shots in a 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

"I wasn't thinking about it out there," laughed Fleury. "But I guess, with the amount of shots, it was a bit similar.

"But that first game we lost, today we won. It was a much better feeling."

Colin Miller was instrumental on Neal's game-winner, swiping the puck from Mattias Janmark in the neutral zone with about three minutes to go. This led to Jason Garrison taking advantage of a Dallas line change to hit Neal and Cody Eakin for the winning two-on-one.



"Colin's got a good stick and he played a solid game for us," noted Gallant.

Miller flashed some of that length on Dallas superstar Jamie Benn in the first.



For Miller, who's not the most physical of defenders, disruptive stick and body positioning is of utmost importance.

Minuses

There's no two ways about it, this is a game that the Stars deserved to win.

Especially in the first 40 minutes, Dallas pelted Fleury and hemmed in the road breakout. The quicker Stars made the Golden Knights look particularly slow on the back-end. At times, it looked like half-court hockey.

"They play a tight gap in the neutral zone," observed Gallant. "So we talked about chipping some pucks when the opportunity was there because they took the middle away pretty good."

Obviously, relying on Fleury to make 40+ saves a night is not a sustainable formula for success.

Once again, Vegas couldn't cash in on the power play, despite seven opportunities. Going back to the pre-season, they're zero for their last 28.

While Brendan Leipsic in particular found himself with some dangerous chances on the man advantage, the Golden Knights did not enjoy consistent zone entries or puck movement. A couple times, they tried the drop pass to the speed coming from the behind, but with awkward results. While Leipsic was game in taking Vadim Shipachyov's spot on the team's top power play unit, the Russian and Shea Theodore's presences were definitely missed.

In all, despite the jubilant mood in the away locker room, looking ahead, there's some trouble on the horizon for Vegas at this rate.

The Golden Knights march to Glendale tomorrow evening for the Arizona Coyotes' home opener.

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