1. Martinez’s Dream Debut
Alec Martinez hardly had time to get a good grasp on his new surroundings after being traded to the Vegas Golden Knights by the LA Kings on Wednesday.
However, despite having had little time to let everything soak in, the veteran defenseman put on a show for his new team.
Despite struggling offensively this year, eight points (one goal, seven assists) in 41 games, the 32-year-old showed his upside in that department straightaway for the Knights.
After Kevin Shattenkirk had given the Tampa Bay Lightning the lead, Martinez made it a tied game at the end of the first period after the defenseman jumped up into the play before one-timing a rebound past Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Then, if that wasn’t enough of a first good impression, Martinez tallied a secondary assist on Mark Stone’s goal in the second period, the goal that made it a 3-2 game.
Martinez finished the night with two points for a +3 rating with one hit and four blocked shots in 20:10 minutes of total ice time.
It was a hell of a debut for the veteran and the Vegas Golden Knights will be hoping that Thursday was just a glimpse of what Alec Martinez can bring to the table.