Late Comeback Propels Vegas Golden Knights in Overtime
Vegas Golden Knights forward James Neal proved himself once again scoring his second game-winner in as many days.
When the Golden Knights defeated the Dallas Stars last night in their inaugural season opener, I expected a tired group of players traveling to Arizona the next day for a game. There’s a bad track record with teams playing back to back and traveling the next day. But color me wrong after this one.
Let’s start in the first period. For the second straight day, Marc-Andre Fleury was in between the pipes for the Golden Knights, and he was once again stellar. However, it didn’t start real well for the Flower. The Coyotes got on the board early with a rebound goal from Tobias Reider nearly six minutes in the first.
From that point on, Fleury shut the door for the rest of the game and didn’t allow the Coyotes to extend the lead. You could tell the skaters wanted to reward Fleury for his effort last night and in this game as well by winning battles and peppering Antti Raanta.
In the second period is where the Golden Knights started to take this game over. For some reason, it just seemed like they won all the battles for the puck and created multiple scoring opportunities. Which is shocking, especially from playing last night and the Coyotes were off. The Golden Knights had a glittering chance to get on the board with a five on three advantage, but Raanta and the Coyotes penalty killing were equal to the task.
The Knights powerplay continues to be an issue from the last few preseason games at the T-Mobile Arena. I believe this team needs a kick start and perhaps that’s making spots for both Shea Theodore and Vadim Shipachyov. This Vegas Golden Knights power play looks atrocious, and I’m sure Head Coach Gerard Gallant knows it.
The second frame was probably the best the Golden Knights have looked thus far outshooting the Coyotes 18-6. The team possessed the puck for most of the period and created scoring chances, but the Knights just couldn’t solve Raanta.
In the third period, it was more of the same. Vegas controlled the play for the most part and didn’t allow the Coyotes to gain much momentum. As time was ticking down towards one minute, Gallant pulled Fleury for the extra attacker as a last-ditch effort to tie the game. And it worked to perfection.
A James Neal wrist shot towards the net hit a group of bodies, and an Oliver Ekman-Larsson failed clear attempt opened the door for Nate Schmidt to tuck the puck past Raanta to tie the game with 1:12 to go. Just like that, the two squads went to overtime.
The first official overtime in Vegas Golden Knights history didn’t start off very well. The Coyotes found some life and started to take control for the first time all game. But just like I’ve said before, Fleury was rock solid and made a couple of big stops to keep the Coyotes at bay.
With time once again ticking down towards a minute left in overtime, David Perron made a big play along the corner boards staying with the puck to give it to Neal who was all alone out in front of Raanta. Neal made no mistake and buried his third goal of the season in dramatic fashion. “Real Deal” James Neal once again played the hero as the Knights win their first two games in franchise history.
Honestly, this team deserved to get the victory tonight. The Knights came out and looked ready to play from the opening faceoff. The team didn’t waiver when Raanta shut them down for most of the game. Eventually, their hard work and determination ended up paying off.
My three stars are pretty obvious starting with Fleury as my third star. Fleury stopped 27 of 28 shots and got the W on the second end of a back to back. My second star is the unsung cult hero Nate Schmidt. Not only did he score the tying goal in the dying moments of the game but he also added an assist on the eventual game-winner. And my number one star is “Real Deal” himself scoring the first ever Golden Knights overtime game-winning goal.
The Golden Knights come home for the first official game in franchise history against these same Coyotes. You know the Coyotes blood must be boiling after tough losses to both the Knights and Anaheim Ducks. It looks like we’re in for a barn burner as the two desert teams set to clash in beautiful Las Vegas. I’m sure Sin City will be rocking after a 2-0 start. It’s your time Vegas Golden Knights fans, be loud and proud because you’ll be apart of rich history.