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Vegas Golden Knights: Tuch the hero in Overtime to secure No. 1 seed

By Andrew Steele-Davis

Alex Tuch #89 of the Vegas Golden Knights is congratulated by his teammates after scoring the game-winning goal against the Colorado Avalanche during overtime in a Western Conference Round Robin game. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
Alex Tuch #89 of the Vegas Golden Knights is congratulated by his teammates after scoring the game-winning goal against the Colorado Avalanche during overtime in a Western Conference Round Robin game. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /
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Jonathan Marchessault #81 of the Vegas Golden Knights scores on a penalty-shot past Philipp Grubauer #31 of the Colorado Avalanche during the third period in a Western Conference Round Robin game.
Jonathan Marchessault #81 of the Vegas Golden Knights scores on a penalty-shot past Philipp Grubauer #31 of the Colorado Avalanche during the third period in a Western Conference Round Robin game. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /

Three Stars of the Game

  1. Jonathan Marchessault was an offensive juggernaut in this game, lighting the lamp twice including a filthy penalty shot against Phillip Grubauer. The forward brings a ton of grit and energy to the table for the Golden Knights, and he will need to put up big offensive numbers with Max Pacioretty still absent from the Bubble. This was a big game for Marchessault who finished with two points, four shots on goal and two hits in 16:58 minutes of total ice time.
  2. Shea Theodore really is establishing himself as one of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL. He did a good job of that pre-COVID-19 but the blueliner really has elevated his game to a whole new level during the restart. And Theodore was at the heart of everything good the Golden Knights did against the Avalanche, laying on two assists and producing a superb outlet pass that led to Jonathan Marchessault winning and then executing a penalty shot. Vegas really does have a star in the making in Shea Theodore.
  3. Robin Lehner split the exhibition and the round-robin games with Marc-Andre Fleury with the Golden Knights having the luxury of two elite goaltenders at their disposal heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And Lehner was impressive in his final outing, stopping 32 of the 35 shots he faced against the Avs and pulling off a sensational glove save to deny Mikko Rantanen. It would be a shock if Fleury wasn’t the starter for Round 1 but the Golden Knights know they can fall back on an elite option in Robin Lehner should they need to.

What’s Next

The real stuff begins now.

With the final slate of Qualifying and round-robin games set to take place on Sunday, the Vegas Golden Knights will now prepare for a Best-of-Seven series against the Chicago Blackhawks in Round 1.

Next. Golden Knights set up Blackhawks matchup. dark

Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs are slated to start on Aug. 11, and while we don’t know if the Golden Knights will be in action that day, we know that real Playoff hockey is finally upon us.

Bring it on!

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