Vegas Golden Knights: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from Flyers hammering

There was no love shown in The City of Brotherly Love last night as the Vegas Golden Knights were humbled 6-2 by the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center.

Oscar Dansk, starting his first NHL game since October 2017, got a rude awakening after being lit up six times by the Flyers, who snapped a four-game losing skid and inflicted a first defeat in three on the Vegas Golden Knights in the process.

There was a severe lack of offensive production for the Knights, who failed to protect their goalie and they were awful when it came to keeping possession of the puck too.

They were outshot 15-7 in the first period and were lucky to have only allowed the one goal, although the Flyers more than made up for that by scoring four straight in the second period.

And, although Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith both got Vegas on the board in the third period, it mattered little with the Flyers icing the game thanks to Michael Raffl‘s second goal of the night.

It was an ugly loss for the Golden Knights who are thankfully right back at it tonight when they finish this three-game road trip in Chicago against the Blackhawks (5:00 p.m. PT).

But, first, let’s go through The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from last night’s matchup against the Flyers…

The Good

Reilly Smith – Let’s preface this by saying that there isn’t a lot of good to cover today. The only real bright note was Reilly Smith, who continues to have that golden touch in-front of net. And it was on show again last night as the forward continued his red hot start to the year.

Although the game had gone by that point, Smith still displayed the killer instinct to score on the breakaway after going five-hole on Brian Elliott, with Nick Holden and Jon Merrill getting the helpers.

It was Smith’s seventh tuck of the year, his 8th point overall, and everything the wing touches at the moment seems to turn to gold.

The Bad

Mark Stone – The elite two-way forward did tally an assist to extend his points total to 13 (six goals, seven assists) through 10 games, but it was a quiet night overall for Stone.

And what perhaps best summed up Stone’s average day at the office was the fact that the Knights didn’t generate a single shot attempt while Stone was on the ice, which is just bonkers.

It more than likely won’t happen again but it does sum up the offensive struggles the Golden Knights endured on Monday night in Philly.

And it probably does have more to do with Stone’s linemates than Stone himself, to be honest.

The Penalty Kill – It seems harsh including this as everyone is allowed off-nights and the PK has been lights out for the Knights through the first few weeks of the regular season.

However, the Golden Knights’ struggles on the penalty kill last night played a key role in them losing the game against a Flyers team that was on a four-game losing streak.

Vegas allowed two power play goals from five attempts in total, with Travis Konecny getting on the board in the first period before veteran defenseman Matt Niskanen one-timed his team’s second PP goal beyond Oscar Dansk in the middle period.

Both goals came from cross-ice feeds and it was a night where everything that could go wrong for the Knights did.

Faceoffs – The Golden Knights have struggled in the faceoff circle this year, losing the draw battle in five of their first 10 games this season.

That included last night where Vegas won just 43 percent of their draws, compared to Philly’s 57 winning percentage in the faceoff circle.

Winning faceoffs is a key component in the game of hockey and it is an area the Knights need to improve in.

Penalties – As good as the Philadelphia Flyers were on the power play, they were given gift wrapped presents all too often.

Brayden McNabb, Ryan Reaves and Jake Bischoff all took unnecessary penalties and it led to the Flyers potting two goals on the man advantage.

As good as the penalty kill has been for Vegas this year, and it has been elite, they were just simply overworked on Monday night.

The Ugly

Oscar Dansk – Making his first start since October, 30, 2017, Oscar Dansk had a rough night at the office to say the least.

Facing 37 shots, and saving 31 of them, Dansk still allowed six goals but he had little to no help from his defense.

It was an ugly night for the goalie who will be sent back down to the AHL once Malcolm Subban is healthy.

And, one thing is for sure, we would not want to be Dansk in the film room today with the goalie coach.

The Blueline – Ugly is the right word when describing the effort from the blueline last night. Just brutal.

They offered goalie Oscar Dansk no protection at all and Brayden McNabb and Deryk Engelland were the only defensemen not to finish with minus ratings, although that isn’t saying much.

The pairing of Nick Holden and Jon Merrill endured a tough night with both players finishing with -2 ratings, while Shea Theodore and Jake Bischoff didn’t fare much better.

Looking Ahead

The bad news for the Vegas Golden Knights? They are 1-1-0 on this three-game road trip. The good news? They can finish it with a winning record tonight by seeking redemption against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center – 5:00 p.m. PT.