The Vegas Golden Knights snapped their losing streak yesterday night against pacific division rival, the San Jose Sharks. Moreover, the Golden Knights were able to get Jack Eichel his first win as a Golden Knight. Hopefully the first of many to come.
The Vegas Golden Knights are in a tough division which makes these divisional games that much more important. You can’t argue that the Golden Knights needed that win after losing to the Flames and the Kings in the last couple games. Getting this win was a step in the right direction.
The Golden Knights are going through a lot right now with trying to acclimate Jack Eichel into their lineup. It’s not the same as implementing Mark Stone into the lineup because he is familiar with them. Getting this win hopefully solidifies the lines for the future.
Looking ahead, this was a good win. They played very well in the 5v5 with a strong defensive showing that helped keep the Sharks off the board. Now, we can’t say that this was because of the defense if we don’t give credit to Logan Thompson.
Logan Thompson played a great game with some terrific saves. The Sharks had some great chances to score and Thompson denied them all but once. He looked poise when facing shots, showed good agility in his edging work, and showed quick instincts.
Next, let’s talk about Jack Eichel and him finally getting a goal. Eichel has officially neted his first goal in over a year. Lucky for us, it was as a Golden Knight and not a Buffalo Sabre. Eichel got the puck from Chandler Stephenson on a around-the-net pass and put it right on Eichel’s stick.
Eichel has always been a productive player, so seeing him starting to find that part of his game again is exciting to see. Finding a rhythm with his passes, his shot, being aggressive, it’s something he has done well in the past, and as he continues to create chemistry with his line-mates, I’d assume we could expect more of that from him.
Finally, Max Pacioretty is once again back on the scoring sheet and he’s one fire again. After being scoreless for multiple weeks, he has begun finding his shot again. Having scored two goals against the Los Angeles Kings and scoring yesterday against the Sharks, he now has three goals in two games.
Yesterday, that win not only helps create a new start for the Golden Knights to build off of, but it also shows that they are finally finding a rhythm in their lines. Having moved multiple people around trying to figure out what works, they seem to be finding some consistency that is allowing for the Knights to grow as a team.