Vegas Golden Knights Forward Oscar Lindberg Showing Off Potential
The Vegas Golden Knights are reaping big rewards from Oscar Lindberg early in the year.
Just when you think the Vegas Golden Knights will go off the rails due to the injuries of Marc-Andre Fleury and Malcolm Subban, think again. Even though it’s not easy on most nights, results are where it counts. This team is becoming very exciting to watch on a nightly basis because there’s a new hero every night.
The emergence of goaltender Oscar Dansk leading the way in the crease. James Neal is living up to the nickname “Real Deal.” The fourth line grinders are even exceeding expectations early on in the year. And Nate Schmidt has stepped up to the plate averaging over 21 minutes a night on the blue line for the Golden Knights.
Overall, Vegas has grabbed 16 out of a possible 18 points to start their inaugural campaign. Contributions are coming from up and down the lineup, and it’s encouraging to see. However, there’s a player that’s playing an outstanding brand of hockey that no one is even talking about and that players name is Oscar Lindberg.
The Skelleftea, Sweden native has recorded four goals in nine games played so far. It’s silly to think he’s going to keep up his pace and score 36 goals for the year. But not too bad for a team you don’t know where the scoring is going to come from on any given night.
Lindberg will probably rack up more points this season than he has in either of his seasons with the New York Rangers because Head Coach Gerard Gallant has given him more opportunities. But interestingly enough, Lindberg hasn’t been used much on the power play or the penalty kill. Perhaps Gallant is trying new players out to see how they do, given the situation.
The 26-year-old can play both center and wing positions making him extremely versatile. Sometimes I just wished he shot the puck more. He clearly has the tools to become a potential top-six forward in the NHL today. Check out some of his goals this year:
If Gallant’s plan going into the year was telling Lindberg to shoot more, then it might’ve just worked. If he’s giving consistent performances like he has been every game thus far, he’ll become a large part of this franchise down the road.
Lindberg has been playing well enough to earn a top-six forward spot. However, William Karlsson has been on a roll with Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault on the second line. Lindberg has an interesting set of linemates one being speedster Erik Haula and the other being big man Alex Tuch. The early results this line is showing is very impressive even when they’re not getting on the score sheet.
His two-way ability is another reason why he’s been standing out. His play without the puck on the backcheck is a sight to see. But again, If Lindberg plans to take another step in the right direction offensively, he must be able to play at a consistent level.
Next: How Do The Vegas Golden Knights Dominate The Second Period And Overtime?
All in all, Lindberg is one of the essential building blocks for this hockey club. He’s also one of my personal favorite Golden Knights players to watch. This acquisition is making general manager George McPhee look really good right now. But let’s be real, McPhee is looking like a genius after all the moves he made in the offseason. Getting Lindberg in the expansion draft was a big-time move, now its just up to the player himself to take the next step.