Vegas Golden Knights: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly from Boston

Despite doing almost everything right, the Vegas Golden Knights lacked a killer instinct as they dropped a tough one to the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Tuesday.

Mark Stone got the Vegas Golden Knights on the board minutes into the first period in what was a perfect start to the last game before the All-Star Break, although Jeremy Lauzon‘s first goal of the year made it a tied game.

But the Knights jumped out to another lead in the second period and it came via a moment to remember for rookie defenseman Nic Hague.

Having come agonizingly close to recording his first career goal in the NHL on a number of occasions this year, Hague finally lit the lamp against the Bruins as he ripped an absolute bomb of a one-timer past Jaroslav Halak.

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It was a near-perfect game for the Golden Knights who converted on 50 percent of their power play opportunities, while going a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.

However, it all fell apart for Vegas in the third period as they once again failed to put together a complete effort for the entire 60-minutes.

Jake DeBrusk went top-shelf on Marc-Andre Fleury with a lethal snipe, before David Krejci swatted home his own rebound after the Golden Knights failed to clear the zone.

It was a tough loss for the Vegas Golden Knights who go into the bye week with a record of 25-20-7, and we broke down the game by going through the Good, the Bad and the Ugly…

The Good

Nic Hague – Jan. 22, 2020 will be a date forever etched in the memory of Nic Hague, and not because the Vegas Golden Knights gave away the game.

No, the rookie defenseman will look back on this contest with fond memories because it was the game that saw him finally light the lamp.

After hitting a plethora of posts and going close on a number of occasions, Hague recorded his first career goal in the National Hockey League and it was a beauty.

Taking a dish from Nate Schmidt, Hague unleashed an absolute bomb of a one-timer past Jaroslav Halak and it was a fitting way to achieve a milestone moment.

After eventually proving to the coaching staff that he deserved a shot in the big leagues, Hague has improved with each game and he has 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) through 38 games.

Whatever happens the rest of the way, Nic Hague won’t forget his moment in the spotlight against the Boston Bruins.

Nate Schmidt – This has been a down year for the defenseman who has struggled in nearly all aspects of the game.

It is hard to pinpoint exactly why Schmidt has endured a rough year but it has contributed to the inconsistency that has plagued the Golden Knights so far in 2019-20.

However, Schmidt enjoyed a mini resurgence against the Boston Bruins with two assists for a two-point night, in addition to 24:03 minutes of total ice time.

Schmidt was still a -1 on the night but he allowed just six scoring chances while he was on the ice, and it was a vast improvement compared to recent outings.

Special Teams – It was a triumphant night on special teams for the Vegas Golden Knights and, nine times out of 10, winning the special teams battle would lead to victory.

However, it didn’t in this case although let’s take a moment to appreciate just how good the Knights were on special teams.

They converted on 50 percent of their power play opportunities which has been good all year and is currently ranked eighth in the NHL (22.0).

Then there was the penalty kill.

It was just a perfect night for the Vegas penalty killers who went 5-for-5 on the PK, frustrating what is the third best power play in the entire league.

The Bad

Lack of secondary scoring – It has been a real issue all year and it again reared its ugly head as the Vegas Golden Knights failed to get contributions from up and down the lineup.

Mark Stone and Nic Hague got on the board while Nate Schmidt had two assists and Jonathan Marchessault had a helper, but that was it as the Knights were outshot 37-29 by a Boston team loaded with firepower.

The bottom six forward unit combined for just five shots on goal all night, which just isn’t going to get the job done.

There is little breathing room when it comes to the cap but the Golden Knights will need to try and address their lack of secondary scoring at the Trade Deadline, or it could really hurt them down the stretch.

The Ugly

Third Period Collapse – Winning the special teams battle, going 50 percent on the power play and a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill, in addition to taking a lead into the third period, all the ingredients were there for the Vegas Golden Knights to go into the bye wee on a high.

However, and as has often been the case this year, they couldn’t put their foot down on the throat of their opponent and allowed two unanswered goals in the third period to lose the game.

Elite teams and contending teams find a way to grind out games and this was a tough loss for the Vegas Golden Knights who go into the All-Star Break with plenty to work on.