Vegas Golden Knights: Seven thoughts after seven games

1. Cody Glass belongs in the NHL

What a few weeks it has been for Cody Glass. After winning a roster spot out of Training Camp following an impressive preseason, the rookie phenom began the regular season as the second line center between elite wings Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone.

Playing alongside two players at the peak of their powers clearly helped Glass to elevate his game, and the two-way forward has excelled and flourished in the NHL so far.

Through seven games he has recorded two goals and three assists for five points, with two of those coming on the power play.

Glass has established himself as a cornerstone of Vegas’ top power play unit, which has largely been responsible for why the PP overall is ranked sixth in the NHL currently (29.2).

And, although the 20-year-old is now playing on the right wing of the third line, he is still making big contributions to this team as perfectly displayed against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, where he produced a sublime no-look pass to set up Mark Stone on the power play.

We’re just seven games into the regular season but Glass has already proved that he belongs in the NHL and he is without doubt the future of this franchise.

2. Elite Special Teams

Man, the Special Teams are getting the job done right now.

The penalty kill has been lights out and it is currently ranked No. 3 in the NHL (92.6), behind only the Vancouver Canucks (93.8) and the Edmonton Oilers (95.0).

Vegas aren’t giving their opposition much hope at all when on the PK and their top unit, which features William Karlsson and Reilly Smith, is good for at least one high-danger shorthanded chance every time they are on the ice.

And let’s give credit where credit is due because Marc-Andre Fleury is a huge reason why the PK has been so successful through seven games.

He’s been lights out generally but he has really stood on his head when he’s needed to on the penalty kill, allowing just two power play goals on 41 shots faced with a .951 Save Percentage.

Outstanding.

The power play has been red hot too and the Golden Knights recorded their fourth consecutive goal on the man advantage against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, thanks to Mark Stone’s fifth goal of the year.

It is currently ranked sixth in the NHL (29.2) and the top unit, which features Mark Stone, Cody Glass, Max Pacioretty, Paul Stastny and Shea Theodore has been outstanding so far.

Glass has made a huge difference on the PP due to his elite playmaking abilities and his vision when it comes to reading the open ice, and his linemates are reaping the rewards.

3. Top line back to their best

One of the biggest surprises to come from a plethora of surprises during the Golden Knights’ inaugural year in the NHL was the emergence of one of the best top lines in hockey.

Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith clawed their way out of hockey obscurity to light up the NHL and propel the Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in historic fashion.

They combined for a staggering 213 points during the regular season in 2017-18, in addition to a combined total of 58 points in the postseason.

However, the trio each endured a slight dip in production last year as teams had more game tape on which to study from and learn how to shutdown that dynamic line, with the first half of the season in particular a real struggle for the trio.

But, having the luxury of an elite second line backing them up, Marchessault, Karlsson and Smith have been reborn through the first seven games of 2019-20 and they are throwing it back to 2017-18.

They are dominating their opposition and have combined for 17 points already, with Karlsson leading the way with seven assists for seven points.

Smith has been lethal in front of the net and everything he touches seems to turn to gold at the moment, as demonstrated by the five goals and six assists he has tallied in seven games.

And Marchessault, although not as productive as his linemates when it comes to points, has still contributed with one goal and three assists for four points, and his style of play just opens up the ice for Karlsson and Smith.

It is nice to have you back, guys.

4. Red Hot Stone

There were high expectations for Mark Stone heading into this year and it is fair to say that he has come as advertised so far.

After being acquired in a blockbuster trade from the Ottawa Senators at last year’s Trade Deadline, Stone made an instant impact with the Knights as he potted five goals and tallied six assists for 11 points down the stretch.

He elevated his play to the next level in the postseason after totalling 12 points (six goals, six assists) in seven games, flashing tantalizing glimpses of how good he could be on a contender.

So, it wasn’t surprising that there was plenty of buzz and hype surrounding Stone coming into the 2019-20 NHL regular season and, so far, he hasn’t disappointed.

On a second line with Max Pacioretty and rookie phenom Cody Glass, who has now been replaced at center by Paul Stastny, Stone has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in seven games including four points on the power play.

Stone has been an offensive juggernaut in the first two weeks of the season and he’s on pace for a 100 point + year.

We predicted that the 27-year-old would lead the Golden Knights in points this year and that already seems a safe bet, while he also has a 50.3 Corsi and an oZS% rating of 47.6.

And Stone, who was a finalist for the Selke Trophy last year, brings plenty to the table when it comes to his play in the defensive zone, and he has already racked up seven takeaways through seven games after leading the NHL in that category with 122 last year.

He’s averaging 19:10 minutes of total ice time a night and it isn’t a stretch to state already that Mark Stone is a cornerstone of this franchise.

5. Vintage Fleury

We all know what to expect from Marc-Andre Fleury but that doesn’t make what he’s done through seven games any less impressive.

Entering his 16th season as a professional hockey player in the NHL, Fleury’s workload has been hectic to say the least but he’s responded emphatically so far.

After Malcolm Subban went down with an unspecified injury during the 4-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes last week, Fleury has started three straight including both games of a home and away back-to-back at the weekend.

But the lack of rest clearly hasn’t hindered the future Hall of Famer who, through seven games, has posted a record of 4-2-0 with a 2.56 Goals Against Average and a .922 Save Percentage.

He has come up big with some huge saves at key moments and he has already produced enough stellar stops for a lengthy highlight-reel this year, while his play at the end of the second period on Saturday was a big reason why the Golden Knights went on to beat the Calgary Flames.

Fleury has also been a driving force behind one of the best penalty kills in the NHL, allowing just two power play goals on 41 shots with a .951 Save Percentage.

Overall, Marc-Andre Fleury has been vintage Marc-Andre Fleury to start the year and you need elite goaltending if you have championship aspirations, as the Golden Knights do.

6. Blueline Concerns

One of the biggest bugaboos through the first seven games, arguably the main one, has been the Golden Knights’ play on the blueline.

Let’s preface this by saying that the absence of Nate Schmidt, who is currently on the IR with a lower body injury, has clearly hurt this unit as did his unavailability last year when he missed the first 20 games of the regular season after allegedly violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.

Schmidt is an elite puck-moving defenseman who is excellent when it comes to getting the puck out of the zone and helping with the transition game. He’s arguably the best at those two areas on the Vegas roster, along with Shea Theodore.

So it is evident and abundantly clear just how important Schmidt is to the success of this team now he is off the ice again.

Because, through seven games, this defensive unit as it is currently constituted has been a major weakness and it is an ongoing concern.

Even when Schmidt returns there is a worrying lack of balance when it comes to the defensive pairings, and we will be doing a piece shortly on how the Vegas front office could rectify that.

But let’s get back to it. Without Schmidt, the Knights have struggled to get the puck out of their own zone at times, a problem that was epitomized during the loss to Boston Bruins last week when a number of turnovers led to goals.

There is a lack of balance to the defensive pairings, too. Jon Merrill and Nick Holden are solid in their own zone but aren’t going to help with the transition game when they are together, while Deryk Engelland and Nic Hague have both been turnover machines.

Granted, this blueline should be a lot better once Schmidt returns from the IR, but there is plenty of work to do long-term and this defensive unit could probably do with a radical makeover next off-season.

7. Second Period Slumps

How do you solve a problem like the Vegas Golden Knights in the second period?

That is the million dollar question through the first seven games of the 2019-20 NHL regular season and there doesn’t appear to be an easy answer at the moment.

The Golden Knights have allowed nine goals during the second period of games thus far, being outshot in the middle frame in two games out of seven.

Granted, there have been games where the Knights have completely dominated their opposition on the shot board in the second period, but it is clear that the middle frame is a weakness when you look at the goals they have allowed.

It could be a mental lapse but it is interesting that the Golden Knights have taken a lead into the second period in five of the seven games they have played.

That includes last night where they held a 2-1 lead against the Nashville Predators going into the second period, only to give up three unanswered goals on their way to dropping the contest 5-2.

It was an alarming collapse and second period struggles is starting to become a worrying trend for the Golden Knights. What is behind that is anyone’s guess but, we know this for certain, the Vegas Golden Knights best figure it out soon or otherwise it could cost them more points down the road.