Vegas Golden Knights: Biggest takeaways from opening night win
It was a winning start to the 2019-20 NHL regular season for the Vegas Golden Knights who made light work of the San Jose Sharks in a 4-1 victory at T-Mobile Arena on opening night.
Renewing a rivalry that has developed a real fiery edge over the last two years, the Vegas Golden Knights looked dialled in from the very first drop of the puck and they went on to dominate the game, feeding off an electric atmosphere in what was a packed and raucous home barn.
Cody Glass, the Knights’ first-ever draft pick in franchise history, scored his first NHL goal on his debut in the big leagues, while Reilly Smith got on the board with two goals including a shorthanded effort.
Mark Stone also scored his first tuck of the year and William Karlsson recorded a two-point night, while Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 21 of the 22 shots fired at him, including going six-for-six on the penalty kill.
It was a complete team performance from the Golden Knights who absolutely beat up on the Sharks, who were without Erik Karlsson due to a personal issue and Evander Kane because of suspension.
Vegas outshot San Jose 35-22 and also came out better in the faceoff circle with a win percentage of 53 percent, compared to the Sharks’ 47 percent.
It was the perfect way to raise the curtain on the Knights’ third year as an NHL franchise and they showed no signs of early-season rust, excelling in every single area and sending out a clear message to the Pacific Division from the very get-go that they mean business in 2019-20.
Here are our three biggest takeaways from the Vegas Golden Knights’ 4-1 opening night victory over the San Jose Sharks…
1. Glass is the real deal
It was an eagerly anticipated NHL debut for rookie phenom Cody Glass and, boy, the young forward didn’t disappoint.
Starting the night as the pivot on a second line in-between elite wings Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone, Glass quickly erased any nerves and produced an accomplished display that belied his tender years.
He logged 14:51 minutes of total ice time, including 2:14 on the power play, winning 50 percent of his faceoffs and recording two shots on goal and dishing out one hit.
However, Glass’ crowning moment was obviously his first-ever NHL goal which gave Vegas fans a tantalizing glimpse of the mouthwatering potential of this second line as it is currently constituted.
First of many 😃🥛 pic.twitter.com/dGG93yjkBV
— 🏆 - Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 3, 2019
The play began with Stone doing an exceptional job to keep the play alive in the offensive zone by feeding the puck to Pacioretty, who displayed sublime vision to dish a beautiful pass to Glass who was able to one-time home the puck at the backdoor.
It was a stunning passage of play with a momentus end result and it will be a milestone that Glass will never forget. It was the rookie’s welcome to the league moment and his overall play proved that he belongs in the NHL.
2. Big Guns Deliver
This is an incredibly talented Vegas Golden Knights roster that can boast a plethora of heavy hitters capable of changing the momentum of the game with a single play.
And they all delivered last night.
Mark Stone, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith all recorded a two-point night while Max Pacioretty got a primary helper on Cody Glass’ first-ever NHL goal.
Marc-Andre Fleury was outstanding between the pipes after stopping 21 of 22 shots fired at him, while the likes of Shea Theodore and Nate Schmidt did what they had to do on the blueline in order to keep the Sharks’ glut of offensive talent at bay.
Early season rust is to be expected so it was hugely encouraging to see the Knights’ collection of elite stars dialled in and ready to go from the first drop of the puck.
🍏 ➡️ 🤠➡️ 🍏 ➡️ 🚨 pic.twitter.com/P6zqudWTCH
— 🏆 - Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 3, 2019
And perhaps the most impressive line was that formidable top line featuring Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith, who are all searching for a bounceback year after enduring dips in their respective game in 2018-19.
They were certainly locked in on opening night with that dynamic top line combining for the following stat line:
- Corsi: 11-3
- SOG: 7-1
- Scoring Chances: 6-0
- High Danger Chances: 5-0
That trio were impressive to say the least and a combined four points from Karlsson and Smith is a superb return from the first game of the year.
To be successful and to win games in the NHL you need your big hitters to be on top of their game, and that was the biggest difference between the Vegas Golden Knights and the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night.
3. McNabb set for a big year?
When talking about the Vegas Golden Knights blueline, much of the focus is on stud defensemen Shea Theodore and Nate Schmidt. That’s not surprising.
But, could Brayden McNabb be set for a huge year in 2019-20?
The 66th overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft was outstanding against the San Jose Sharks and was easily the pick of the bunch of the Golden Knights’ defensemen.
Logging 22:28 minutes of total ice time, including time on both the power play and the penalty kill, McNabb dished out six hits, blocked one shot and was just dominant against the Sharks.
It was an impressive showing from the 6’4″ and 212 lb blueliner who will eat monster minutes throughout the year, and 2019-20 could be the season McNabb really breaks out and prove that he can be a high-end defenseman in the NHL.
Glass came and he conquered. dark. Next
It was a solid effort from the Vegas blueline overall with all three defensive pairings doing a good job of shutting down the Sharks’ attack and limiting their most potent weapons to scraps.
The Golden Knights and the Sharks will do battle once again on Friday when Vegas heads to San Jose.