Vegas Golden Knights: Carrier’s brilliance, other takeaways from Blues win

1. Fourth line leaves its mark

Let’s be honest, it isn’t often that the fourth line on any hockey team gets the headlines following a big statement win.

But, following the events of Saturday, we felt it only right to dish out some love to the Vegas Golden Knights’ bottom line.

After all, they contributed two huge moments at critical periods in the contest and both proved to be turning points.

It started with Ryan Reaves who put his imposing frame to good use by making his presence felt, getting to the front of the net and then shoving a loose puck past Blues goalie Jake Allen.

That got the Golden Knights on the board after they allowed three unanswered, and it was a goal that sparked the fightback.

And then another member of the bruising fourth line stepped up to make a huge impact. A one goal game at this point, Nicolas Roy kept a play alive before getting to the front of the net and mopping up a rebound after defenseman Nic Hague had a shot blocked.

It was two huge plays by a line that often goes unnoticed and unpraised but, on this occasion, they deserve the limelight for the role they had in a famous comeback.

2. Carrier’s ceiling

We are getting to the point where we may have to reassess just exactly what we think of William Carrier as a player.

Having built his reputation on being a gritty and powerful bottom six forward, Carrier has shown a different side to him in his last two outings.

Playing on a third line with Paul Stastny and Cody Glass, Carrier was a playmaking machine against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday and he was at it again on Saturday.

And it all started in his first shift in the first period against the St. Louis Blues as Carrier burned veteran defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, before circling the zone and then dishing a sublime feed to Nic Roy in the slot.

Carrier was buzzin all night and he produced a highlight-reel play in the second period after weaving through a crowd of bodies before dishing a no-look pass to Stastny who did the rest.

Carrier displayed some filthy mitts on that assist and you can’t help but think just what the 25-year-old could be capable of.

Is he wasted on the fourth line?

We’ll be exploring that question in more detail on Monday but it is worth thinking about after the last two games.

Granted, it is only a small sample size but Carrier has shown what he can do when given more ice time with more skilled linemates.

He’s clearly got the skill, the hands and the vision and that third line looked awesome in the two games against the Flyers and the Blues.

With Nicolas Roy also playing well, it could be worth keeping Carrier on the third line to give him more chance to show us all the true William Carrier.

3. Glass’ rotten luck

You have to feel for Cody Glass.

It has been an up-and-down roller coaster of a rookie season for the forward, who has only just come back from an upper-body injury.

He was just starting to get his confidence back too after getting on the board against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, but then disaster struck against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.

Trying to crash hard to the net, Glass tangled with Jay Bouwmeester and his knee looked to have buckled underneath him as he fell to the ice.

Glass had to be helped off the ice by Mark Stone before being helped to the locker room, and a deafening silence fell upon T-Mobile Arena.

I think everyone feared the worst and it was too soon to find out an official announcement after the game.

However, Jesse Granger of The Athletic has reported tonight that it could only be bruising of the bone, rather than a ligament tear and it won’t require surgery.

If true, that is huge news for all concerned and it would have been heartbreaking for Cody Glass had it been serious.

4. Stephenson an inspired trade

Few ripples were made inside the hockey world when the Vegas Golden Knights sent a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft to the Washington Capitals for bottom six forward Chandler Stephenson on Dec. 3.

However, Vegas President of Hockey Operations George McPhee had the inside track after drafting Stephenson while he was GM of the Capitals, and it has proved to be an inspired trade.

Stephenson, with his hustle and raw speed, has slotted seamlessly into this lineup and he’s made a real impact with five goals and four assists for nine points through 16 games.

And, Stephenson has earned the trust of the coaching staff so much that he is now logging top six minutes between Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone on the second line.

And the swiss army knife type player rewarded that faith against St. Louis.

It started in the third period when Stephenson blocked a pass before driving into the offensive zone and ensuring the puck got to Reilly Smith, who proceeded to slap it past Jake Allen to put Vegas ahead.

Then, with the game in overtime, Stephenson showed his hockey IQ by getting across to the boards and stripping the puck from Robert Thomas, before charging down the ice and putting the game-winner past Allen.

It was a big night from Stephenson who logged 19:13 minutes of ice time, and he could go down as one of the best low key trades of the season.

5. Perron comes back to haunt Knights

Since leaving Las Vegas to return to St. Louis for the 2018-19 season, David Perron had failed to tally a single point in four outings against the Knights.

But man, did that change on Saturday.

Arriving at T-Mobile Arena with a chip on his shoulder, Perron absolutely roasted Vegas in the first period alone with two primary assists.

He absolutely carved open his old team with two sublime dishes, and he was everywhere on the ice.

And then, with the Golden Knights clinging onto a slender lead, Perron punched his old team in the gut by unleashing an absolute rocket on the power play to take the game to overtime.

It was a three-point night by the veteran forward who is carving out a hell of a year with 17 goals and 26 assists for 43 points in 43 games.

Unfortunately, and while the Golden Knights eventually had the last laugh, it was just a stark reminder of the caliber of player that Vegas lost when Perron left to return to the Blues.