Vegas Golden Knights at Ottawa Senators Storylines
It has been a dramatic and traumatic couple of days for the Vegas Golden Knights who can finally get back to matters on the ice today against the Ottawa Senators.
Following the 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, the Vegas Golden Knights sent shockwaves through the hockey world yesterday by firing Head Coach Gerard Gallant and Assistant Coach Mike Kelly.
Former San Jose Sharks bench boss Peter DeBoer was announced as the second Head Coach in franchise history immediately after, and he will take charge of his first game today.
That is just one major story among many heading into the showdown against the plucky Senators, and we decided to run through a few…
Storyline 1 – The DeBoer era begins
What a whirlwind couple of days it has been for the Vegas Golden Knights organization.
From losing to the Sabres to firing Gerard Gallant and then hiring Peter DeBoer, it has been a frantic 24 hours or so for this franchise who is going through some turbulence for the first time.
But, no matter how you feel about Gallant’s departure or DeBoer’s appointment, all that matters is winning and the Peter DeBoer era officially starts tonight.
DeBoer will be behind the bench as the Golden Knights take on the Ottawa Senators and it will be interesting to see how this group of players respond to a bucketload of adversity in a short amount of time.
At the end of the day, the players have to shoulder some responsibility for Gallant’s dismissal, and they must now step it up a notch in order to help DeBoer deliver a championship.
The Golden Knights enter today’s contest having dropped four straight, and it will be interesting to see how much of an impact a fresh voice in the locker room makes.
Let the fun and games begin.
Storyline 2 – Stone’s return
Mark Stone has faced his old team since being acquired by the Vegas Golden Knights in a blockbuster trade at last year’s Trade Deadline, but this afternoon will be the first time back at Canadian Tire Centre for Stone.
Stone spent seven seasons with the Senators, amassing 311 points (123 goals, 188 assists) in 366 regular season games, in addition to a cup run in 2016-17.
So, as a result, today will be an emotional return for Stone who will no doubt be honored by a video tribute during the game.
However, the forward will also be focused on trying to get the Peter DeBoer era off to a winning start, and it will be up to him and the other elite players on this team to deliver the goods out on the ice.
Storyline 3 – Year of the Duclair
What a story Anthony Duclair is weaving right now.
Entrenched in hockey obscurity for most of his career, Duclair has truly broken out this year and he’s finally unlocked the potential he came into the league with back in 2013 as the 80th overall pick.
Duclair leads the Senators in points with 32 (21 goals, 11 assists) and he has been one of the success stories of this regular season.
Although in rebuild mode, the Senators are still plucky and their offense runs through Duclair, so the Golden Knights will have to put the shackles on the rejuvenated forward.
Storyline 4 – Time to step up
The Vegas Golden Knights front office panicked on Wednesday, in my opinion at least, and the only move they could make was a coaching one.
After all, they couldn’t get rid of the whole team but it is the players who have largely failed to deliver so far.
Well, now is the time for everyone in that locker room to come together and do what they need to do in order to help this team live up to lofty expectations.
This team is set up to win now and there could be more changes in the off-season if a new face behind the bench fails to spark a turnaround.
Next. Three reasons DeBoer was hired. dark
It all starts tonight.