Vegas Golden Knights: Takeaways Against the Kraken
By Evan Mead
The Vegas Golden Knights are finally back at home after going on the road for six of their last seven games. Now they could’ve played anyone in the league for their return but the NHL scheduled the Seattle Kraken. What makes this game so special? We’ll I’ll tell you.
The Vegas Golden Knights were the 31st team in the NHL which was a major accomplishment given the nature of the sport and where they were at. Now, there are 32 teams in the NHL. Who was the 32nd team? the Seattle Kraken.
The Vegas Golden Knights have had to deal with a lot of problems so far this season. Being able to come back home and get this win should mean more to the Knights, and the Knights fan base than it appears to.
The Vegas Golden Knights who started the season with a 1-4 record, are now 7-6 on the season. Getting this win at home means a lot to the Knights going forward, but there is more that meets the eye. With that being said, Let’s get into the takeaways from the game.
The Seattle Kraken Gives the Knights Hope
The Vegas Golden Knights, as I stated above, started this season with a record of 1-4. They were able to get a win to start the season before going on a four game losing streak, and getting the unlucky injury bug. But, that wasn’t the point. In order to get to my point there’s a question that needs to be asked: Who was the win against? The answer: The Seattle Kraken.
You may ask why that is so important, and that’s where my comment “There’s more than what meets the eye” comes into play.
Prior to going on that four game losing streak, the Vegas Golden Knights were able to secure a win against the Kraken to start the season. In that you realize that the Knights won that game due to a terrific performance from star wingers, Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty. Now, although those were the two biggest contributors in the win against the Kraken, they were also much healthier all-around than they are now.
So being able to go out and get the four to two win against the Kraken last night shows that they truly don’t need Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, William Karlsson, or any of the players they are missing. They went out there, took care of business, and got the win.
That should be a huge motivator as they look to continue getting wins.
The Knights Defenseman are Ready to Step up
The Vegas Golden Knights have had a hard time getting some of their defensive weapons to step up on either side of the puck. I was also a believer that Shea Theodore, Alec Martinez, and Alex Pietrangelo just weren’t doing enough to help this team win.
It’s funny the fact that the entire Knights fan base was starting to hate on their defense, and now, what would we do without them. Pietrangelo in the last six games has put up three goals and four assists. Averaging over a point per game in his last six, he has become one of the best weapons on the Knights offense and his been a huge benefactor to the Knights turnaround.
On top of the Alex Pietrangelo’s turnaround, Shea Theodore is starting to show promise of the player that we all expect him to be. Theodore in yesterday’s game against the Kraken, had one of the best goals of the season from the Knights with a slap shot from the perimeter.
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The Vegas Golden Knights are showing signs of truly becoming a team to fear in the NHL. However, what’s more scary is that the team that is going out there and getting win after win, without their best foot being forward.