Vegas Golden Knights: Our Three Stars from Game 1 success against Sharks

Third Star: William Karlsson

This was our biggest difference with William Karlsson replacing Mark Stone as our Third Star, but it was very close.

And, if we’re being honest, the Third Star could have gone to anyone of Stone, Brayden McNabb or Marc-Andre Fleury given how outstanding the trio were against the San Jose Sharks.

But, in our opinion at least, Karlsson deserves to be among the Three Stars after producing a dominant display against the Sharks last night.

He finished with two assists and made a plethora of smart plays, while providing the Knights with a dangerous outlet on the penalty kill.

His chemistry with Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith on that dominant top line was there for all to see, and the trio combined for this impressive stat line after the opening two periods:

• Corsi: 11-3
• SOG: 7-1
• Scoring Chances: 6-0
• High Danger Chances: 5-0

Impressive to say the least and Karlsson’s work wasn’t done there, taking advantage of a sloppy turnover from San Jose defenseman Dalton Prout to feed Reilly Smith in the sweet spot and the forward did the rest with a one-timer.

And the best was yet to come as Karlsson and Smith once again proved why they combine for a lethal partnership on the penalty kill. Breaking up a play, Smith charged up ice and played a game of tic-tac-toe with Karlsson who provided the perfect pass for Smith to one-time home his second goal of the night.

Karlsson showed elite vision and puck-handling skills to create both goals and that’s why the center is our Third Star.

Second Star: Reilly Smith

Two goals in any game is worthy of being named one of the Three Stars and, if it wasn’t for a certain rookie (more on him lately), then Reilly Smith may well have been our First Star.

But, as it is, Smith will have to settle with being the Second Star but he can have a bucketload of praise instead after lighting it up against the San Jose Sharks. He was exceptional and it was a superb start to 2019-20 for the winger.

Smith finished with two goals for two points, five shots on goal, two hits, two takeaways and a plus/minus rating of +2 in 14:54 minutes of ice time, including 1:35 on the power play and 3:03 on the penalty kill.

And let’s focus on the special teams for a moment. We all know Smith is an absolute menace on the PK with William Karlsson and that unit was in peak form again last night, and it all started thanks to Smith.

Hustling to break up a Sharks play and force a Brent Burns turnover on the power play, Smith showed his acceleration to charge up the ice and he played a neat game of pitch-and-catch with Karlsson before wristing home his second goal of the night and his first shorthanded tuck of the year.

Smith’s first goal was equally as pleasing on the eye too and it again was manufactured from a sublime Karlsson dish from in the slot, and Smith was able to one-time the puck beyond Martin Jones.

Whether he was on special teams or 5-on-5, Smith was all over the ice and was making a notable impact in both zones. He made plays, finished plays and played a solid two-way game, which was rewarded with his first two goals of the year.

Long may it continue.

First Star: Cody Glass

This should not be surprising. Making his NHL debut after spending the whole of preseason trying to prove that he has what it takes to blossom in the NHL, Cody Glass was given the ultimate opportunity when put on a second line with elite wingers Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone following injuries to Alex Tuch and Cody Eakin.

And it is fair to say that Glass seized his chance with both hands and did more than make the most of it. He smashed it out of the park for a humdinger of a home run.

He was that good.

Also part of the power play, Glass provided the screen in-front of Sharks goalie Martin Jones in the lead-up to Mark Stone’s first goal of the year in the first period, wristing a shot beyond Jones who was shutdown by Glass’ excellent screen.

But the shining moment of the night was still to come and it arrived in the second period when Stone kept a play alive, Max Pacioretty read the ice well and picked out Glass with a sublime dish and the rookie phenom did the rest with a slick one-timer.

It was Glass’ very own “welcome to the NHL” moment and it could be a sign of things to come from the 20-year-old who showed no signs of nerves during his big moment on the biggest stage, instead flourishing and thriving in the cauldron of pressure.

There were also plenty of encouraging signs of chemistry being forged between Pacioretty-Glass-Stone and that line could have the potential to be an explosive one in the NHL.

And one thing we know for sure is if Glass keeps playing like he did on Wednesday against the Sharks, then he will be sticking around in the majors for a while.

Worthy Mentions

Mark Stone – The elite forward recorded a two-point night including a power play goal and a secondary assist on Cody Glass’ first NHL goal.

Brayden McNabb – The defenseman was ready to play from the first drop of the puck and he was sensational, laying on six hits, blocking one shot and racking up 22:28 minutes of total ice time.

Marc-Andre Fleury – The goalie made his first start of the year a winning one after stopping 21 of 22 shots fired at him, including six shots on the powerplay. He was alert early on and it was a dominant performance from Fleury.