Vegas Golden Knights: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from Coyotes defeat

It was another bad night at the office on Thursday for the Vegas Golden Knights who dropped their second straight following a 4-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on the road.

In a game that marked the start of three Pacific Division matchups in four days, the Vegas Golden Knights couldn’t bounce back from the 4-3 loss they had suffered to the Boston Bruins on home ice just days before.

It was an ugly effort from the Knights in the first period in particular against the Coyotes, despite the fact that they outshot their hosts 15-14. Malcolm Subban, making his first start of the year, had to make a number of big saves, including one on the breakaway to deny shorthanded goal king Michael Grabner.

Conor Garland and Nick Schmaltz got Arizona on the board while Shea Theodore recorded his first goal of the year with a wrister, although that would be the only highlight of the game for the Knights.

Marc-Andre Fleury replaced the injured Malcolm Subban at the start of the second period and he too made some big saves, but he couldn’t stop Garland with his second and Niklas Hjalmarsson from wrapping up the win for the Coyotes.

It was a second straight loss for the Golden Knights and a costly one at that given it was a divisional matchup. We are going to break down the game by going over the good, the bad and, yes, the ugly…

The Good

Malcolm Subban – Making his first start of the year, Subban has been known for starting slow and he was brilliant in the one period he played before injury struck. He made 12 saves of 14 shots, including denying Michael Grabner and a superb pad save to keep out a Carl Soderberg shot from close-range.

Shea Theodore – The puck-moving defenseman is the only blueliner to escape Vegas’ last two games with any real credit. He didn’t cough up a giveaway in the loss to the Coyotes, and he recorded his first goal of the year with a pinpoint wrister. The sooner Nate Schmidt is back to help with the transition game the better for both Vegas and Theodore.

Cody Glass – The rookie phenom picked up another point, his third in four games, after grabbing a secondary helper on Shea Theodore’s wrister in the first period. Glass finished with a -1 rating on the night but he logged 17:01 minutes of total ice time, including getting more looks on the top unit of the power play, and he looks at home in the NHL.

The Bad

First Period – It was a poor effort from the Golden Knights in the opening period and their lack of intensity ended up costing them two points. Conor Garland and Nick Schmaltz put the Coyotes in the driving seat and Vegas had very little answers, apart from Shea Theodore’s first goal of the year at the end of the period.

Blueline Woes – For the second consecutive game the Vegas Golden Knights produced a poor defensive display, and for the second straight game it cost them dear. The blueline coughed up nine giveaways in total and they must have given away four or five breakaways in the second period alone. Put simply, the scoreline could have been a whole lot uglier were it not for Malcolm Subban and Marc-Andre Fleury.

The Ugly

Secondary Scoring – What is going on with the bottom six forward unit? They have contributed literally nothing since the second win over the San Jose Sharks to start the year, and it is costing their team dearly. Brandon Pirri and Valentin Zykov have looked lost at sea for the last two games, and Paul Stastny is struggling to get anything out of his wings.

The bottom line of William Carrier, Tomas Nosek and Ryan Reaves did their job in terms of laying the body on, but secondary scoring needs to come from somewhere and there could be line changes coming soon.

Cody Eakin is expected to be back for this weekend’s double-header against the Calgary Flames and the LA Kings, and he could slot in as the third line center allowing Paul Stastny to be bumped up back to the second line. Cody Glass could fill one of the wing positions on the third line, and that may help to spark that line into life.

Subban’s injury – As already mentioned, Malcolm Subban made a string of brilliant saves in the first period and, although he allowed two goals, it could have been a whole lot worse were it not for Vegas’ backup goalie. Picking up an injury in your first start of the year is always a huge body blow and fingers crossed Subban isn’t out for long.

Defensive Pairings – Something needs to change and fast. There is no doubt that Nate Schmidt’s absence due to injury is hurting the team, and not just what he brings to the table in terms of his puck-moving ability. It also puts the Knights in a bind when it comes to the defensive pairings. Rookie Nic Hague has been solid enough so far but he needs to be taken off a line with Deryk Engelland, with maybe the more defensive-minded Jake Bischoff a better option to play with the veteran.

I would also split up Jon Merrill and Nick Holden who are both left shots, pairing Merrill with Hague and Holden with Bischoff potentially. The final decision will be up to the coaching staff, ultimately, but something needs to give given how shaky the blueline has looked in the last two games.

Looking Ahead

It is a crucial weekend ahead for the Vegas Golden Knights who face back-to-back Pacific Division showdowns against the Calgary Flames on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena, before hitting the road on Sunday to take on the LA Kings. They are both critical games and a chance for the Knights to get back on track.