Vegas Golden Knights: Three Takeaways from Colorado hammering
It has been a successful start to the preseason for the Vegas Golden Knights who improved to 2-0 after breezing past the Colorado Avalanche 5-0 at the Pepsi Center on Tuesday night.
Garret Sparks was arguably the star of the night after posting a 24-save shutout, while Brandon Pirri also put on a show after recording a three point night (two goals, one assist). There were other encouraging performances and it would have no doubt given Vegas Golden Knights Head Coach Gerard Gallant plenty of food for thought.
Preseason is all about thrashing out line combinations, tweaking systems and working out who is best suited to fill any remaining spots on the roster. It is also an opportunity to get a closer look at the franchise’s glut of prospects and get a better idea of what talent you have within the farm system.
All in all, the first two exhibition games have been worthwhile exercises for the Golden Knights and, while the wins are nice for confidence and team spirit, the most important aspect of preseason is getting ready for the regular season and making sure you are raring to go once the meaningful games come round.
As was the case during the 6-2 win against the Arizona Coyotes in the preseason opener on Sunday, there were plenty of talking points from last night’s victory in Colorado and we have presented our three biggest takeaways from the success against the Avalanche…
1. Sparks stands on his head
Most people with a basic knowledge of the Vegas Golden Knights assumed that Garret Sparks would begin 2019-20 in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves when he was acquired in a trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs in the off-season.
That was confirmed last week when Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon revealed that Malcolm Subban will once again be the Knights’ backup goalie going into this year, while Sparks will battle it out for a starting job in the minors with Oscar Dansk and Dylan Ferguson.
While nothing has changed since last night when it comes to Subban’s status as the backup goalie, the front office would have no doubt be encouraged by the performance put on by Sparks and it is always a huge positive when you have an abundance of riches on the depth chart when it comes to goaltenders.
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Sparks was sensational against Colorado, stopping all 24 shots fired at him to record a shutout and provide an outstanding first impression on his Golden Knights debut. He pulled off some impressive saves and didn’t look troubled at any point during the game.
He skated well, flashed the glove on two sublime saves, showed off his positioning sense and tracked the puck extremely well. He oozed confidence and, although it was only the preseason and the Avalanche didn’t really have any of their big guns out on the ice, you can’t take away from Sparks’ performance.
Sparks has been lights out in the AHL throughout his career but he’s struggled in the NHL, including enduring a woeful year with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2018-19 which culminated in being assigned for work in the latter stages of the year after going 2-7-0 down the stretch with a 3.30 Goals Against Average and a .899 Save Percentage.
However, the talent is clearly there and I suggested at the time when Sparks was traded to Sin City that a change of scenery might do him the world of good, and it has certainly started out well for the 26-year-old, who looks set to bring added competition to the Golden Knights’ goaltending department.
2. Nic Hague’s big night
After watching four of his fellow rookies and also rivals for one remaining roster spot on the blueline, Nic Hague got his chance to impress the coaching staff on Tuesday when he made his preseason debut against the Colorado Avalanche.
And it couldn’t have gone any better for the blueliner, who looked sharp and locked in from the very get-go and it was a mature display from the 20-year-old who had Brett Lernout as a D partner last night.
Hague finished the night with a sublime goal after deking the goaltender before backhanding the puck in the back of the net. It was a highlight-reel play from the defenseman who illustrated his ability to provide offensive production while flashing exceptional stickhandling ability.
He registered a plus/minus rating of +2 in 22:33 minutes of ice time and also logged considerable time on both the power play and the penalty kill, where he excelled on the latter after producing a huge block on a 5-on-3 powerplay and also used his stick to break up a developing attack.
After Dylan Coghlan impressed against the Coyotes on Sunday, it was a gigantic performance from Hague who has an edge over the four other rookie blueliners hoping to crack the opening night roster in that he is a two-way defenseman and can contribute in both zones.
At 6’6″ and 214 lbs he boasts an imposing physical presence and he proved on the penalty kill last night that he can be a true shutdown defenseman, while he also flashed the ability to join the rush and make an impact in the offensive zone.
The battle for the final roster spot on the blueline will go right down to the wire and at the moment it appears as if Coghlan and Hague are out in front and are locked in a fascinating two-way battle.
3. Battle for third line spot heating up
As already mentioned, preseason is all about finalizing line combinations for the regular season and the Vegas Golden Knights have a couple of roster spots still up for grabs heading into 2019-20, including the left wing berth on the third line.
It is expected that Brandon Pirri will at least begin the year on the third line with Cody Eakin and Alex Tuch, and he certainly cemented his chances of being on the opening night roster after shining in the win against the Avalanche.
Playing on a second line with Valentin Zykov and Tomas Nosek, two players also gunning for that left wing role, Pirri played hard in both zones and benefitted from both Zykov and Nosek doing an exceptional job of forechecking and winning board battles, while generating constant traffic in front of the net by feeding pucks to the point for shots.
Pirri was lethal in front of goal and finished with two tucks, with his first goal a deadly snipe and the fact that he appears locked in already is encouraging for the Knights, who are in dire need of secondary scoring in 2019-20.
But Pirri wasn’t the only player to audition well for that left wing spot on the third line. No, Zykov and Nosek also put some impressive video on the tape for the coaching staff to watch back and that particular battle has really taken an interesting turn now.
Zykov, who has become somewhat of a forgotten man in Vegas, tallied a goal and an assist last night and he showed off outstanding stickhandling skills coupled with an ability to protect the puck with his body. He logged 14:05 minutes of ice time and also got an extended look on the power play.
Next. Garret Sparks stars as Knights rout Avs. dark
Nosek finished the night with two assists and he was his usual physical self, laying on two hits and recording a plus/minus rating of +2, in addition to eating up a monster 16:44 minutes of ice time and also being used on both the power play and on the penalty kill.
It certainly seems that the third line left wing job is Pirri’s to lose at the moment, especially after last night, but he’s certainly going to have to fight and scrap for it and this is going to be a truly intriguing battle to keep an eye on throughout the rest of the preseason.