It has been a productive start to the 2019-20 NHL regular season for the Vegas Golden Knights, and they have their big hitters to thank for that.
After completing a double-header sweep at the weekend with impressive wins over the Calgary Flames and the LA Kings, the Vegas Golden Knights are 4-2-0 on the year.
And much of the Knights’ success in the early throes of the season has boiled down to the performances of their top guns.
They have been the shining stars, along with goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, through the first six games with Vegas still lacking secondary scoring from the bottom of their lineup, although they did come through against Calgary on Saturday.
Mark Stone has been lights out to start the year and he leads the Golden Knights in points with nine (four goals, five assists), and the wing is showing already why he is considered one of the best players in the NHL.
Finishing 2018-19 with 72 points in total for both the Ottawa Senators and the Knights, Stone is well on pace to smash that total and set new career-highs, which you wouldn’t put against him based on this early evidence.
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Stone has four two-point games already and he’s fast morphing into the heartbeat of this team, while it is clear to see that he’s relishing having some high-end pieces around him unlike in the latter stages of his time in Ottawa.
Max Pacioretty has been operating at max power so far this year and he is just behind Stone with two goals and six assists for eight points.
Four of his points have come on the power play and Pacioretty has developed a lethal understanding with rookie phenom Cody Glass on both the second line and the man advantage.
Glass is now on the third line following Cody Eakin‘s return to health, but that has allowed Paul Stastny to be reunited with Pacioretty and Stone on the second line.
And that subtle tweak has paid off handsomely with Stastny recording five points (three goals, two assists) in his last two games after being held without a point in his previous four games on the third line.
Glass played his part in the dominance of the second line, too, with three of his four points coming as the pivot between Pacioretty and Stone, and he will now have a chance to provide secondary scoring from the third line.
And let’s not forget about that dangerous top line. Despite what some of the stats may say, Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith have been dominant so far this year.
They are clearly benefiting from having an elite second line behind them, and the two lines together provide a tonne of matchup headaches for the opposition.
Karlsson hasn’t scored a goal yet but he has six assists, the majority of which have come on Smith’s four goals, while Marchessault has contributed three points (one goal, two assists) so far.
It is interesting to note that Vegas’ top line has matched up against the opposition’s top lines this year, thus allowing the second line of Pacioretty, Stastny and Stone the freedom to go and do what they do best.
And the power play has also been rolling at a clinical rate, too. Housing a slew of stars on the top unit, Vegas’ PP is currently ranked sixth in the NHL (30.0).
It went a perfect 3-for-3 in the win against the LA Kings on Sunday and it has the potential to finish as one of the best power plays in the entire NHL this year.
You need elite scoring in this game if you are going to be a serious championship contender, and the likes of Tampa Bay Lightning, Nashville Predators, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins are all favorites for the Stanley Cup because they boast a glut of firepower.
And you can slot the Vegas Golden Knights into that category too, given the abundance of offensive weapons they have at their disposal in their top six alone.
Defense may win championships but goals certainly help too and the Golden Knights shouldn’t struggle in that department in 2019-20.