Vegas Golden Knights: Max Pacioretty tears it up in preseason opener

Veteran forward Max Pacioretty stole the show but there were plenty of other positives for the Vegas Golden Knights to focus on after rolling past the Arizona Coyotes 6-2 in their preseason opener at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday afternoon.

All the headlines will revolve around Pacioretty who recorded a hat trick and also tallied an assist for a four point night, while established stars Reilly Smith and Cody Eakin got on the board with a goal apiece. Malcolm Subban got the start in net for the Vegas Golden Knights, stopping 28 shots to get the win in-front of 17,767 hockey-crazed fans at T-Mobile Arena.

Of course, before we delve in it is important to preface what we are about to say by stating that this was just the first of seven preseason games on the slate and the result doesn’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things. As a result, you would be mad to get carried away by anything in this game, good or bad, but it was a worthwhile exercise for the Vegas coaching staff who would have been pleased with what they saw.

Now, we are going to go more in-depth on today’s game on Monday with a ‘Lessons We Learned’ piece but, for now, we are going to recap the matchup against Arizona and go over the main talking points from what was an eventful and entertaining first exhibition game.

The Line-Up

As expected, Golden Knights Head Coach Gerard Gallant opted for a mishmash of established veterans and high-end rookies with a point to prove for the preseason opener against Arizona, while backup goalie Malcolm Subban got the start between the pipes.

It was an interesting line-up with generational talent Cody Glass, who arguably faces the biggest training camp of his young career, was the top line pivot between Max Pacioretty and Reilly Smith – a talented young stud between two proven veterans and it was a line that worked well.

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Jonathan Marchessault also played and was the left wing on the second line with Nicholas Roy, acquired in a trade from the Carolina Hurricanes during the off-season, and Valentin Zykov who has gone under the radar this summer but he too faces a huge preseason as he bids to try and win a spot on the opening night roster.

In terms of the defense, Jake Bischoff, Jimmy Schuldt, Zach Whitecloud and Dylan Coghlan, who are all slugging it out for one berth on the blueline, were given the opportunity to impress the coaching staff while Brayden McNabb and Nick Holden added some veteran presence to the unit.

We will detail the lines in full on the next slide but this is what the early stages of preseason are all about – giving certain veterans the chance to blow off the cobwebs and get back into the swing of things, while having the opportunity to take a closer look at a number of prospects in a competitive environment on the big stage.

The Game

First Period – It was the worse possible start for the Vegas Golden Knights who went down early and it wasn’t Malcolm Subban’s finest moment, with the goaltender allowing a shot from Ilya Lyubushkin to trickle through his legs. It was a hugely disappointing moment for the 25-year-old who had enjoyed a strong start to Training Camp, not allowing a goal in over 40 minutes of scrimmages.

Subban has been hindered by the fact he struggles when coming in cold and that was on show again today, and it is something he has to eradicate from his game if he wants to establish himself as a regular starter in the NHL.

However, the Golden Knights did respond well and they made it a tied game at 4:39 thanks to Max Pacioretty, who received a sublime dish from Nick Holden and had all the time and space in the world to snipe one home past Adin Hill on the breakaway. That would be a sign of things to come from the veteran forward.

Arizona did nudge back ahead after Vinnie Hinostroza took advantage of a bad line change from Vegas and sniped one past Subban, who again should have done better with the shot and it capped off what was a pretty miserable first period for the goalie.

But it was a tied game going into the second period and it was Pacioretty to thank again with the forward showing a bucketload of determination to snipe home his second goal of the night. Although preseason is the preseason, it was extremely encouraging to see Pacioretty dialled in so early and 2019-20 will be a big year for the wing.

In other news from the first period, Keegan Kolesar, a gritty two-way winger with the Chicago Wolves in the AHL, made headlines of his own after dishing out an absolutely brutal hit on Aaron Ness in the open ice, which sparked a brawl and led to Kolesar being assessed a 5-minute major for charging and another 5-minute major for fighting. Way to introduce yourself to the home crowd!

Second Period – Vegas took over in the middle frame and they took the lead thanks to a Cody Eakin one-timer, with Pacioretty grabbing a helper on the tuck. Subban appeared more locked in during the second period and he made a flurry of key saves, including an outstanding pad save on a wraparound attempt.

And that laid the platform for Pacioretty to steal the show once again and he completed his hat trick at 16:53, tucking home the rebound with Dylan Coghlan and Cody Glass getting the assists on that goal. Although the hat trick doesn’t count for anything in the grand scheme of things, it is encouraging to see Pacioretty in full flow already and that should give him plenty of confidence heading into the regular season.

Jonathan Marchessault had a couple of attempts on goal while both Coghlan and Glass made smart plays, with the latter hustling back to save a goal in his own zone after making a mess of a power play entry in the offensive zone. It was a good moment from the forward who will get plenty of opportunity to impress throughout the preseason.

Third Period –  As is always the case in preseason, it is less about the actual game and more about tinkering with line combinations and paying attention to certain players. So, by this point, the Golden Knights were in cruise control and they had it their way in the final period.

Reilly Smith scored a shorthanded effort on the penalty kill and showed his wheels and skill in the buildup to the goal, before defenseman Brayden McNabb lifted the puck over everyone to score an empty netter to add the gloss on the win.

Malcolm Subban also pulled off a couple of excellent saves and he finished with 28 saves, quickly moving on from his awful start in the first period. Overall, it was an impressive showing from the Vegas Golden Knights and they were given strong showings from their handful of established stars, while the likes of Cody Glass, Dylan Coghlan and Zach Whitecloud could be pleased with their outings. Let’s move on to some stats and notes from the game…