Vegas Hockey Knight
Fansided

Vegas Golden Knights: Cousins explodes in impressive debut

By Andrew Steele-Davis

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 26: Nick Cousins #21 of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates with teammates on the bench after scoring a third-period power-play goal against the Edmonton Oilers during their game at T-Mobile Arena on February 26, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights defeated the Oilers 3-0. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 26: Nick Cousins #21 of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates with teammates on the bench after scoring a third-period power-play goal against the Edmonton Oilers during their game at T-Mobile Arena on February 26, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights defeated the Oilers 3-0. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

There must be something in the air at T-Mobile Arena because players love scoring on their Vegas Golden Knights debuts.

After Alec Martinez made a hell of a first impression in his first game for the Vegas Golden Knights last week, Nick Cousins followed suit by playing a vital role in the shutout over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night.

Acquired from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a 2021 Fourth-Round pick at the Trade Deadline, Cousins went straight into the lineup for the Pacific Division showdown with the Oilers.

And it was an impressive first outing for the versatile forward who raised the roof off T-Mobile Arena with a debut goal.

More from Vegas Hockey Knight

Playing on a third line with Chandler Stephenson and Nicolas Roy, Cousins certainly added a different dimension to the bottom-six.

He was rewarded at 5:44 in the third period when, given time on the second power play unit, the 26-year-old truly introduced himself to the raucous Vegas crowd.

With the man advantage close to expiring, Alec Martinez unleashed a one-timer which was stopped by Edmonton goalie Mikko Koskinen, but Cousins had got to the front of the net to scoop up the rebound before backhanding the puck into the net.

You could tell how much the goal meant to Cousins who had endured a whirlwind few days after finding out he had been traded, while T-Mobile Arena erupted into raptures.

The moment was even more meaningful when you consider that Cousins had only arrived in Vegas shortly before the game after having to wait for his visa.

It was a huge goal for both the Golden Knights in terms of the game, and also for Cousins who will be expected to provide secondary scoring for Vegas.

And the goal was written in the stars.

After all, four players have made their Vegas Golden Knights debuts this month, with three of them scoring in their first game.

Cody Glass, Chandler Stephenson and Nicolas Roy have also all scored in their first game as a Golden Knight this year.

There is no exact science as to why so many players have carved out memorable debuts, but it was almost destiny that Cousins was going to light the lamp on Wednesday.

It was a productive night overall for Cousins who finished with three shots on goal, one hit, two blocked shots and an 80 percent win rate in the faceoff circle in 12:09 minutes of total ice time.

Let’s be honest, the “first game with a new team” hurdle is always a difficult one that just needs to be vaulted, especially when you haven’t even had a single practice with your new team as was the case for Cousins.

But the man the Knights hope will spark their secondary scoring into life took it all in his stride and he contributed to what was a huge and potentially defining win in the Pacific Division.

How Lehner, Cousins will impact the lineup. dark. Next

If this was the start of things to come, then the Vegas Golden Knights and Nick Cousins will prove to be a match made in heaven.

Home/Analysis