Vegas Golden Knights: Sparks stands on his head as Avs swept aside

Another exhibition game and another win for the Vegas Golden Knights who are now 2-0 in the preseason after cruising to a 5-0 victory against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center on Tuesday.

It was another worthwhile exercise for the Vegas Golden Knights who witnessed strong showings from a number of rookies, while players on the outside looking in also put on a fine display including goalie Garret Sparks, who stopped all 24 shots for a shutout on his debut for the franchise.

Brandon Pirri, who is gunning for the left wing role on the third line come opening night, did what he had to do to earn the trust of the coaching staff after recording a three point night (two goals, one assist), while Valentin Zykov and Nicolas Roy also did their case of winning a roster spot no harm at all with a goal apiece.

There were a plethora of positives for both the front office and the coaching staff to take from the game, and Head Coach Gerard Gallant would have been given some serious food for thought after seeing how certain players rose to the occasion in what was another encouraging display in all three zones from a mishmash of a lineup.

And, on that note, let’s delve into the main talking points from each period before going over some notes and stats from the Vegas Golden Knights’ 5-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche in their second game of the preseason…

The Line-Up

Unlike the opening preseason victory against the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday, the Golden Knights opted to give the vast majority of their established stars the night off on Tuesday with Alex Tuch arguably the biggest name on the lineup card, with the two-way forward playing on a top line with William Carrier and Reid Duke as the center.

Brandon Pirri and Valentin Zykov, two players battling it out for the left wing spot on the third line, were put on the second line which was pivoted by Tomas Nosek, while the bottom six unit was made up of players that are more than likely to begin 2019-20 in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves.

In terms of the blueline, both Jon Merrill and Nate Schmidt were given their first taste of the preseason and had the chance to blow off the summer cobwebs, while Nic Hague was also given his preseason debut and was the final player out of the five rookie defensemen slugging it out for a roster spot to get some ice time.

Dylan Coghlan, who was without doubt the standout star of the four rookie blueliners that played against Arizona on Sunday, got another chance to impress the coaching staff as did Jimmy Schuldt and Zach Whitecloud, while 6’4″ Brett Lernout completed the blueline unit and former Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Garret Sparks got the start between the pipes.

It was a much younger lineup for the Golden Knights and that was to be expected given that the fat from the Training Camp roster will start to be trimmed down in the coming days, so it was a final chance for certain players to make a good impression.

The Game

First Period – There was just one goal in the opening period and it was attributed to forward Valentin Zykov who drove hard to the front of the net, although the puck actually came off the stick off an Avalanche defenseman.

Vegas was outshot 10-9 by Colorado in the first period but the main positive for the coaching staff would have been the show put on by the second line of Brandon Pirri, Tomas Nosek and Zykov who were battling hard, getting pucks on net, dominating the forecheck and winning board battles.

Zach Whitecloud also looked composed playing alongside Jon Merrill on the blueline, with the rookie joining the attack and having one particularly memorable pinch that helped the Knights to hold the puck in the offensive zone.

Second Period – Despite being outshot 11-5 in this period, the Golden Knights took control of the game thanks to some sublime stops from Garret Sparks coupled with a power play tuck from Brandon Pirri.

Pirri got his first of the night with a lethal snipe on the power play with Tomas Nosek and Zykov with the helpers, and that second line in particular was enjoying one hell of a night and was giving Gerard Gallant plenty of food for thought when it comes to filling that left wing role on the third line.

Another positive was the penalty kill as the Golden Knights killed off a full two minutes of 5-on-3 power play, with Nicolas Roy, Jon Merrill and Hague all getting some valuable shorthanded time. Roy, acquired in a trade from the Carolina Hurricanes in the offseason, looked sharp on the PK and Hague was exceptional, making one big block and making sure Sparks wasn’t challenged too much.

Preseason is all about testing out different line combinations and experimenting with special teams, and the special teams would have been pleased with how a new-look penalty kill operated during a lengthy 5-on-3. The front office would have also been impressed by how sharp and locked in Sparks was, with the goalie always in good position and doing a fine job of tracking the puck at all times.

Third Period – The offense exploded for the Vegas Golden Knights in the final period and Hague started proceedings, showing off some silky mitts to deke around the Colorado goalie and then backhand the puck into the back of the net.

As well as being an imposing physical presence and extremely reliable in his own zone, Hague is also a two-way defenseman and can provide offensive production which gives him the edge over the other four rookie blueliners battling for one spot on the opening night roster.

Nicolas Roy, who stood out the most on the penalty kill and was flashing the qualities and physical strength that could make him a dark horse for the fourth line pivot role, got his name on the scoresheet after one-timing a sublime Jake Leschyshyn dish at the backdoor.

And, at 16:04 in the third period, the scoring was complete after Valentin Zykov rounded off a strong day at the office, showing slick hands to evade two Colorado defensemen before feeding Brandon Pirri who one-timed home his second goal of the night.

Vegas outshot the Avalanche 28-24 to finish the night and they got their second preseason win thanks to a 24 shutout night from Garret Sparks, while Pirri, Zykov, Roy and Hague all strengthened their respective bids to make sure they are on the opening night roster. It was another encouraging outing from the Golden Knights who are now 2-0 in the preseason and are seeing everything they need to from their glut of prospects and fringe players.

Let’s now take a look at some notes and stats from the game…