Vegas Golden Knights: Martinez’s stunning debut, other takeaways
Alec Martinez stole the show on his debut as the Vegas Golden Knights continued their hot streak by beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 on Thursday night.
Martinez, who was acquired in a trade from the LA Kings on Wednesday, recorded a goal and an assist as the Vegas Golden Knights ended the Lightning’s 11-game win streak.
It was a stunning victory for the Knights who are now riding a four-game win streak and they are perfect on this homestand so far.
As has been the case for much of the year, however, it wasn’t a great start for Vegas as Kevin Shattenkirk joined the rush before deflecting a pass off a defenseman and into the net.
That woke the Golden Knights up and it was the new boy who made an immediate impact as Alec Martinez one-timed a rebound past Andrei Vasilevskiy to make it a tied game.
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Paul Stastny recorded his 17th goal of the year in the second period to give Vegas the lead, but Steven Stamkos hammered home a touch pass from Victor Hedman on the power play to make it a tied game.
It was all Vegas from that point on, though, as Mark Stone took a dish from Max Pacioretty before beating Vasilevskiy on his backhand.
And the Knights delivered an almighty gut punch to the Lightning just 10 seconds into the third period as Ryan Reaves forced a turnover from the faceoff before ripping a shot past Vasilevskiy.
Max Pacioretty then effectively iced the game with a power play goal, before Stamkos tallied his second goal of the night on the man advantage.
It was a statement win from the Vegas Golden Knights who are really starting to hit their stride, and we had some takeaways from the game…
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.
2. Bold Strategy Pays off
One trend that has stood out from Peter DeBoer’s time behind the bench so far has been his preference when it comes to starting games with his fourth-line out on the ice.
It has been a common sight to see William Carrier, Tomas Nosek and Ryan Reaves out on the ice for the opening faceoff, which has raised eyebrows among some.
Well, DeBoer opted to start the third period with his fourth line out on the ice and it paid off emphatically.
Although Tampa won the draw, Reaves remained persistent and he pressured Brayden Coburn, leading to a turnover.
Reaves seized the puck while holding off Coburn before wristing a shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy to deliver an ultimate gut punch to the Lightning.
It made it a two-goal game and it completely changed the landscape of the game, with the Golden Knights ultimately benefitting.
While starting games with your fourth line may not always be beneficial, we saw on Thursday that having your bottom line set the tone from the first drop of the puck or at the start of the third period can really pay off.
3. Knights Rolling
Are the Vegas Golden Knights now the real deal?
After an inconsistent first-half of the regular season, the Golden Knights are now showing signs that they are really starting to settle into a groove.
With this impressive win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Golden Knights have now won four straight and they are on a tear right now.
This was a real statement win for Vegas who ended the surging Lightning’s 11-game win streak, while dominating one of the best teams in the National Hockey League.
Although slow starts are still a concern, the Golden Knights showed a real impressive character trait to respond by seizing control of the contest and limiting one of the most dangerous teams in the league.
They outshot Tampa Bay, they won the battle in the faceoff circle, they outhit their opponent and they also blocked more shots.
It was just an impressive win and it seems that the Golden Knights have now bought into whatever Head Coach Peter DeBoer is selling.
Next. Grading the Alec Martinez Trade. dark
With the Trade Deadline days away, the Vegas Golden Knights are starting to hot up at just the right time and they appear to have unlocked their full potential.