EK’s Note: We are pleased to announce our new VGK writer, Jeff Paul. Jeff comes to HockeyBuzz with a strong background in the sport having played, refereed, and coached throughout his youth. Making the move from the east coast, Jeff has resided in Las Vegas since 2007. Prior to coming over to HockeyBuzz Jeff independently created and operated VGKTalk.com.
Thursday night’s game was exactly what the doctor ordered for the Vegas Golden Knights. They were able to come away with a 5-3 win on the road to improve to 7-8-1. There was a lot to take away, both good and bad, for the struggling Knights. Let’s take a look at some of the main takeaways from last night’s tilt, the good and the bad.
1. Vegas found success on the Power Play:
Coming into the game, one of Vegas’ main issues was their lack of power play success. The Golden Knights were ranked last in the league, operating under 12% coming into last night’s game. Well, the power play finally clicked, and Vegas connected on their first two attempts in the first period. Scoring the goals were winger Jonathan Marchessault (7) and defenseman Shea Theodore (2), respectively. There wasn’t much of a system change or personnel movement; the pucks finally learned how to dodge the goal posts. Marchessault scored on a great wrist shot from the top of the faceoff circle, while Alex Tuch played on the opposite half wall. Tuch normally camps out in front of the goalie to utilize his big body, but his movement outside created some room for Marchessault to walk the puck down and fire it past Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson. Theodore’s goal came from a huge screen in front of Anderson, somehow finding its way through and into the net.
2. Ryan Reaves was itching to fight:
As we all know, Ottawa defenseman Mark Borowiecki was suspended for a borderline hit on Vegas center, Cody Eakin in their last meeting. In my recap, I suggested a big hit with Borowiecki’s name on it, courtesy of Reaves or William Carrier. Well, that’s not exactly how they got their revenge for injuring Eakin. With a 3-0 lead, late in the second period, Reaves accepted Borowiecki’s dance invitation. Vegas fans have been waiting for a Reaves fight and they finally got it. Unfortunately, that is exactly what Ottawa needed. Borowiecki knew he could get Reaves to drop the gloves and help inject energy into his struggling team. Neither man landed much of anything during the “fight”, but its effects were felt. Ottawa used the fight as a turning point. A short 22 seconds after the fight, Matt Duchene scored Ottawa’s first goal. From that point on, the Senators played with far more energy and aggressiveness, eventually tying the game at 3-3, eight minutes into the third period. It was a great 10 minutes for the Senators, the fight certainly provided the spark they needed.
3. Vegas’ best line continues to be the fourth line:
Carrier, Reaves, and Pierre-Edouard Bellmare have been great so far this season. Their aggressiveness on the forecheck, mixed with the puck play of Bellemare have led to a line that dominates their opponents. There were multiple shifts last night where they matched up with Ottawa’s top line and kept them pinned in their own zone for the duration of their shift. With the game tied at three goals apiece, the fourth line continued to show their value to the Vegas Golden Knights. Carrier took the lead back, scoring the eventual game winner, a minute after the Senators tied the game, assisted by Bellemare and Reaves. Approximately three minutes later, Bellemare provided an insurance goal, assisted by defenseman Colin Miller. Vegas may have the best fourth line in the NHL and pretty soon, Vegas may start calling them the second line. They are producing as such.
4. Vegas’ top lines continue to struggle:
Injuries aren’t helping the Golden Knights right now. Line two was anticipated to be Paul Stastny centering Max Pacioretty and Erik Haula. Those men played a total of three games together before Stastny hit the IR. Upon his return to the lineup, Tuch slid into the opening, but then Pacioretty got hurt. Now Pacioretty is back and Haula is hurt. Haula, who was ruled out for the rest of the road trip, was seen in the hall following the game, on crutches. Haula is now the subject of internet fame over screenshots of his glutes. Let's just say he gained a ton of female fans without even playing last night.
Ok, back to hockey stuff. The second line has been a revolving door, a makeshift line with good reason for low production. Vegas’ first line, one of the best in the NHL last year, has been healthy all season yet struggling to produce on the power play and at even strength. Marchessault leads the team in goals with eight goals in 16 games, but the top line has been….ordinary. The season is just about a quarter of the way done and the top unit has yet to return to their 2017-18 form. Vegas needs them to start producing more consistently if they are going to sustain success and turn this season around. Additionally, not much production has come out of the third line. Aside from line four, Vegas’ forwards have been unspectacular.
5. Marc-Andre Fleury is stealing games at a lower rate than last season:
It is no secret that Fleury is still a very good goaltender, even with 751 regular season games worth of wear and tear on his body. Fleury has shown the ability to compete at a very high level and singlehandedly take over hockey games. After being hit with over 20,000 pucks in a career, it wouldn’t be too hard to accept a decline in play, but that is not what the Golden Knights get from Fleury. There were a handful of games in 2017-18 that Vegas may not have deserved to win, but Fleury simply willed it into happening. This season, he has been good, but not great, evidenced by his .901 SV% and 2.51 GAA. Although the rough start is not solely Fleury’s fault, he hasn’t bailed the team out to the level he did last season and it shows in their 7-8-1 record. Fleury is a very proud goaltender and prides himself on being that valuable asset between the pipes. As the defense continues to improve and stabilize, look for Fleury to settle back into that game changing role.
Overall, the Vegas Golden Knights played a solid game. They continued their trend of outshooting opponents by a wide margin, winning that battle 42-30, similar to the first meeting where they sent 53 shots at Craig Anderson versus the 22 of Ottawa. The shot quality isn’t always high, but you know what they say, get the puck on net and good things are bound to happen. The Golden Knights have been outshot a mere three times this season (Philadelphia rematch, Nashville, and Carolina). They clearly have no trouble getting into the zone and getting shots off, but when they do beat the goalie, the posts have had a tendency to jump in front of their shots.
Vegas hasn’t looked bad, but they certainly have some work to do in order to get back to the team they were last season. Vegas’ next leg of the road trip is Saturday in Montreal, a visit with former Golden Knight Tomas Tatar (6g, 8a). Look for a little extra effort out of Pacioretty in his first chance to show the Canadiens what they lost when they traded him. Thus far, it seems that Montreal won the deal getting Tatar, Nick Suzuki, and a 2nd rounder in the exchange. This game may be the chance for a Pacioretty breakout that the Golden Knights desperately need.
Vegas Golden Knights Blogger • 
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