GLENDALE -- Different Coyotes, same result.
While Vegas eked out a 4-2 victory over Arizona, these Coyotes looked leagues better than the last time that the Golden Knights encountered them in October. Specifically, they looked like an actual NHL-caliber outfit.
Even down 3-0 after two, the 'Yotes had clearly carried play:
Regardless, been impressed by #Yotes. Far more competitive than in Oct. In fact, they're dominating ES scoring chances 12-3 by my count. Per @NatStatTrick, ARI 31-23 5v5 Corsi, 12-4 Scoring chances, 6-1 High-danger. Some score effects involved, but #VegasBorn lucky to be up 3-0
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 26, 2017
About five minutes into the middle frame, it was a scoreless tilt, but the tide was clearly with Arizona. By my count, the home team was enjoying a 7-2 even strength scoring chances advantage, and they were on the power play because of an Erik Haula goaltender interference.
But the penalty-killing duo of Tomas Nosek and Cody Eakin combined for a game-changer:
"I tried to push him away from [the top of the circle]. He faked the shot and tried to dangle back," Nosek recounted. "I forced a turnover. Puck went over his stick, I went on a 2-on-1.
"[Wedgewood] was cheating a little bit. Backcheck went to Eakin. So I decided to shoot."
Eakin digs in forces Yotes to respect pass allowing Nosek a clean lane to drive and shoot and he scores on the shorty 1-0 @GoldenKnights
— gary lawless (@garylawless) November 26, 2017
Pluses
The team's most consistent player tonight was Malcolm Subban, who stopped 23 of 25 shots, many dangerous. Even better, however, was Subban's frank assessment of his own work:
HockeyBuzz: I thought this was the most comfortable that you've looked in net as a Golden Knight. Do you think so?Malcolm Subban: I thought at times, I was a little too comfortable. I was a lot more technically sound in the first few games. Obviously, I haven't played in a while.
Like the second goal, I backed in. We've been working so much on staying at the top of the crease. Soon as that [Brendan Perlini] goal went in, I knew that I was a little too deep.
He was coming fast, so I cheated back for the deke. But you can't cheat like that in this league.
I felt seeing the puck, I was good. That was probably my best thing [tonight], tracking the puck.
But other stuff I can work on, like staying up, playing the puck. I thought I didn't play the puck as well as I usually do.
But I definitely did feel pretty comfortable in there after making a couple of saves early.
Vegas didn't enjoy a lot of dangerous opportunities, but they certainly made the most of them. Jason Demers blinked and it was 3-0:
Shea Theodore sucks Martinook toward him, then drop passes it to the speed from behind, Jonathan Marchessault. Martinook tries to attack Marchessault, who responds by hitting Haula in stride.
Martinook has been left in the dust. The remaining Coyotes shade toward Haula.
That, of course, is when Haula goes cross ice to Marchessault in stride. By holding the puck as long as he did, Haula has opened an wide-open lane for Marchessault to gain the zone. The PK can't close this lane, while Martinook is still flapping in the wind.
Karlsson kept the fire going, scoring his ninth in seven games. But he saved the best for last.
What an effort by Karlsson to negate icing, his tough angle shot misses, but lands right on Marchessault's stick for ENG
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 26, 2017
For Marchessault, it was his third straight three-point night.
Negatives
Maybe it's three games in four nights, but for the second straight game, the Golden Knights didn't consistently have their legs or execute in transition.
Gallant observed, "We didn't do too good a job in the neutral zone."
Whether it was winning battles, puck management, or breaking up attacks, the visitors seemed a step behind most of the night in every zone.
Perhaps the most glaring example of this was the Brendan Perlini highlight reel strike, which made it 3-2 with over nine minutes to go. The big forward took it untouched from the opposite blueline in, through Oscar Lindberg, Brayden McNabb, and Nate Schmidt.
Subban blamed himself, but frankly, he shouldn't have been put in that position.
"Some guys played really well," said Gallant, "but when we're a successful team, it's 20 guys competing and battling hard."
Hopefully, this five-game winning streak doesn't breed false confidence. They were just OK against San Jose and worse in this game.
The Golden Knights are back at home this Tuesday night against the Stars. We'll see if they have their game pointed in the right direction by then.
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