Vegas Golden Knights: Three Takeaways from Colorado hammering

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.