Vegas Golden Knights: Sights and sounds from preseason opener

It was a winning start to the preseason for the Vegas Golden Knights who beat the Arizona Coyotes 6-2 at the T-Mobile Arena thanks to a four point night from Max Pacioretty.

In the curtain raiser to the NHL’s preseason schedule, the Vegas Golden Knights put on a good showing for the 17,767 fans in attendance. Pacioretty led by example with a hat trick and an assist, while Reilly Smith, Cody Eakin and defenseman Brayden McNabb also got on the board.

Malcolm Subban got the start between the pipes for the Knights, with Garret Sparks his backup, and he made 28 saves despite enduring a woeful first period where he was guilty of letting in two soft goals. Defenseman Nick Holden put on a strong showing with a sublime helper on Pacioretty’s first goal, while Dylan Coghlan was the standout performer of the four rookie blueliners given a chance to impress the coaching staff.

Granted, it was only the preseason and it would be foolish to get carried away by any aspect of the game, good or bad. It was also the first of seven exhibition games and the first few will revolve around two factors – giving rookies the chance to show what they can do and allowing certain established veterans to blow off the cobwebs.

But, saying that, it was a worthwhile exercise for Head Coach Gerard Gallant and his staff and all focus will now switch to Tuesday when the Golden Knights will hit the road for a preseason game against the Colorado Avalanche at 6:00 p.m. PT.

For now, however, we are going to introduce a new feature where we go through the sights and sounds and all the best bits from the Vegas Golden Knights’ preseason opener against the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday.

*All quotes thanks to the Vegas Golden Knights’ official Twitter account.

Man of the Moment

Max Pacioretty was the First Star for the Golden Knights after going on an absolute tear with a hat trick and an assist for a four point night. The veteran forward played on a line with Reilly Smith and stud rookie Cody Glass, and took it upon himself to lead by example and set the tone early in preseason.

"“It (the hat trick) doesn’t count for anything but the scrimmages have been good, tonight has been good and the intensity has been there from the group right from day one. You can tell we have a huge chip on our shoulder from the way things ended last year and it has carried over into camp. You’ve got to be happy with the intensity so far in practice and during the game as well.”"

And Pacioretty went on to dish out the praise for line-mate Cody Glass, who impressed in flashes against the Coyotes and the youngster faces a huge preseason as he tries to impress the coaching staff enough to nail down a spot on the opening night roster.

"“He’s awesome. I knew he was awesome last year but the one area for improvement seemed to be to put on some weight, and he’s done that. He’s just such a poise player that it doesn’t matter how much he weighs or how strong he is, he’s got that hockey sense that you can’t teach and he looks like a man out there right now. You’ve got to be happy with the strides he has made even though he was already such a high-level player.”"

The Coach

Vegas Golden Knights Head Coach Gerard Gallant took to the podium in the wake of the game to speak to the media, and he addressed a number of issues starting with the overall performance of his team:

"“Everybody played really well, Nicholas (Roy) did a good job on the PK and everybody did a good job on the PK. They were 0-for-6 on 5-3 or something like that, so I thought the PK was outstanding tonight and they did a good job, especially because we haven’t worked on it a whole lot. We’re three days into camp so you don’t put a lot into it but I thought our guys gave a good effort. There was a good atmosphere, the guys played hard, they played a complete game and it is fun to play like that.”"

The battle for that final roster spot on the blueline has dominated Training Camp and it will continue to be the main talking point throughout the preseason. Jimmy Schuldt, Zach Whitecloud, Dylan Coghlan and Jake Bischoff were all given a chance to impress and Gerard Gallant offered a verdict on their performances.

"“They were all good. When I’m coaching the game, it was my first game back, I’m more worried about changing the lines so we’ll watch some tape and see, but I thought they were all really good. Zach (Whitecloud) led the American Hockey League in plus/minus last year, he’s a solid guy and he’s more of a shutdown guy than he is a big offensive guy. We just want him to keep growing his game and playing solid hockey like he did.”"

The Veteran

Cody Eakin was put on a third line with Paul Cotter and Keegan Kolesar for the game against the Coyotes, and the experienced pivot was solid with a goal and an assist for two points. He will have a huge role to play for the Golden Knights as the team’s third line center in 2019-20, and Eakin gave his verdict on the preseason opener.

"“It is a good start back in our building and the first period was feeling each other out, getting back into the speed and base of play. I thought we made some adjustments and played well. You’ve got to work hard, you’ve got to get your legs, you’ve got to get your timing and you’ve got to know the systems. It is about finding that timing, making smart plays, not turning it over and developing good habits and transitioning that from the preseason to the regular season.”"

There were 17,767 fans in attendance at the T-Mobile Arena for Sunday’s game which is crazy for a preseason opener and, as usual in Vegas, there was an electric atmosphere which Eakin and the rest of the Golden Knights roster appreciated.

"“You think the first game of preseason is going to be kind of sleepy but that is not the case in Vegas and I don’t think it ever will be. It was a lot easier for us and a lot more exciting. It was a heck of an atmosphere.”"

Mark Stone‘s Crazy Day Off

Mark Stone wasn’t required for the preseason opener but he was still present at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday to pass out his own bobblehead to fans, before his day took a mad turn as he took a helicopter to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to take a lap with Jeff Burton, a former professional stock car racing driver who was rather good.

Only in Vegas as they say and Stone spoke to the official Vegas Golden Knights Twitter account to offer his thoughts on what was just another day at the office in Sin City…

"“I just got out of the car and what an experience that was! Jeff gave me a thrill that I’ve never experienced before and what a cool opportunity for me. I really enjoyed myself out here.”"

So, those are the sights and sounds from the Vegas Golden Knights’ preseason opener against the Arizona Coyotes, and we will be breaking down the game in-depth with our ‘Things We Learned’ feature which will be online later today.

Again, all quotes published in this piece were taken from interviews published on the Vegas Golden Knights’ official Twitter account. You can follow them here.