Vegas Golden Knights: Theodore’s greatness, other takeaways
It wasn’t easy but the Vegas Golden Knights picked up a huge win in Calgary on Sunday night after edging past the Flames 5-3 at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Despite blowing a three-goal lead, the Vegas Golden Knights had Shea Theodore to thank after his go-ahead goal propelled his team back to the top of the Pacific Division.
Tomas Nosek was rewarded for his slew of battle scars accrued in recent weeks after knocking home a rebound following some slick stick work by Ryan Reaves.
Nick Holden then recorded his sixth goal of the year after jumping up in the play to join the rush, before burying a nice dish from Nick Cousins on an odd-man rush.
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A dream first period was complete for the Golden Knights who bucked a recent trend by actually starting on top after allowing a goal on the first shot of the game in three of their previous four outings.
The dominance only continued for Vegas early in the second period after Max Pacioretty one-timed a delicious feed from William Karlsson past David Rittich.
However, the tide soon turned and the Golden Knights began to collapse after Milan Lucic skated in on an odd-man rush before wristing a shot through the five-hole of Robin Lehner.
And that was the spark for a complete momentum shift in the game as Dillon Dube made it a one-goal game after ripping a shot from the circle past Lehner.
Vegas appeared to halt the fightback in the third period but, with minutes remaining, Matthew Tkachuk latched onto a dish from Andrew Mangiapane before backhanding a shot past Lehner who had tried to be aggressive.
That could have really knocked the wind out of the Golden Knights but, at 18:50 in the third period, Shea Theodore unleashed a shot from a tight angle that hit a stick before bouncing over Rittich.
It proved to be the game-winner and a crazy contest was iced when Jonathan Marchessault fired the puck into an empty net in the waining seconds.
Although it was far from a Picasso painting, it was a huge win for the Vegas Golden Knights and we had some takeaways from the game…
1. Theodore’s Greatness
This has been a vintage year for Shea Theodore who is currently on a rapid trajectory towards becoming one of the best young two-way defensemen in the National Hockey League.
After missing some of the preseason following a scary battle with cancer in the summer, Theodore has morphed into an absolute horse on the blueline for the Vegas Golden Knights.
He has been one of the best players all year for Vegas period and, at 24-years-old, Theodore is only just scratching the surface of his potential too.
Just look at what Theodore has already achieved this year. Through 70 games, the defenseman has set new career-highs in points (45) and assists (33), while by recording his 12th goal of the year in the win over the Flames he also equalled his career-high in goals.
And, if the above wasn’t enough, Theodore has also broken the Golden Knights’ single-season franchise record for points by a defenseman, a record previously held by Nate Schmidt.
Theodore has benefited from a blossoming partnership with veteran Alec Martinez, a paring that could form the backbone of this team next year too.
Theodore’s importance to this team is reflected in his average ice time which has now risen to 22:13 per game, while he logged a monster 22:47 against the Flames.
The defenseman also ranks high in a number of offensive, defensive and possession metrics, all highlighting his absolute dominance this year.
And, as seen in Calgary on Sunday, Theodore boasts a deadly release in his arsenal, which also acts as a lethal weapon on the power play.
We will look back on this year as the coming-out party of Shea Theodore, and it is fair to assume that this is only the beginning.
2. Reaves not a one-trick pony
There has been many a debate about the merits of Ryan Reaves on this team given his cap hit of $2,775,000.
However, many a Golden Knights fan will defend their much-loved enforcer to the hilt and we saw on Sunday why he is much more than a one-trick pony.
While he has already racked up 307 hits, surpassing the 305 he amassed last year, Reaves is also much more than just a human wrecking ball.
For instance, he is just five points away from equalling his career-high of 20 points that he achieved last year.
Through 70 games this year, Reaves has eight goals and seven assists for 15 points and he has really exploded offensively in Vegas.
And the bruising forward showed some sick hands on Sunday after knocking a puck past a defenseman with his stick and then crashing hard to the net, leading to Tomas Nosek slamming home the first goal of the game on the rebound.
It was an incredible piece of skill by Reaves and it is probably time to dispel the myth once and for all that he is overpaid given what he brings to the table for the Vegas Golden Knights.
3. Still Kinks To Be Ironed Out
This was a huge win for the Vegas Golden Knights but the game itself was not a work of art by any stretch of the imagination.
While the Golden Knights finally played hard from the first drop of the puck, they nearly ruined their good work in the first period.
After building a two-goal lead in the opening frame, the Knights added to their lead early in the second thanks to Max Pacioretty’s power play goal.
But a breakdown led to Milan Lucic skating in on an odd-man rush before squeezing a shot past Robin Lehner, and that led to a collapse.
Both Dillon Dube and Matthew Tkachuk took advantage of poor play in the defensive zone to make it a tied game with minutes remaining.
It took some heroics from Shea Theodore to bail out the Golden Knights before Jonathan Marchessault iced the game with an empty-netter, but that can’t gloss over some clear flaws.
It is abundantly clear that Vegas is still incapable of playing a 60-minute game, while Head Coach Peter DeBoer’s desire for his defense to play aggressive backfired when Nick Holden was caught with a poor pinch in the lead-up to Lucic’s goal.
The penalty kill also remains a major concern after the Knights went 0-for-1, the third straight power play goal they had allowed and the fifth in eight attempts.
The PK is ranked 28th in the NHL and that isn’t going to get the job done down the stretch or in the postseason.
Next. Golden Knights have destiny in their own hands. dark
So, as good as a win as it was last night in Calgary, the Vegas Golden Knights still have a few things they need to tidy up if they want to be a major contender in the postseason.