Thompson shines while Golden Knights go down in Flames

The first big test of the season came in a Tuesday night game against the Calgary Flames as they would look to build off the win against the Kraken. Ultimately, the penalty kill situation in the second period led to the downfall of the Golden Knights on the scoreboard with a 3-2 loss in Calgary. The fourth line for Vegas continued to improve and Logan Thompson was on point all game on.

First Period Breakdown – Offensive production continues

The Golden Knights got off to great start against the Calgary Flames with  the offense picking up right where they left off against the Kraken. With 16:05 left in the opening frame, William Carrier scored his first goal of the season fiving the Golden Knights an early 1-0 lead. Logan Thompson made an unreal save off the stick of Tyler Toffoli at with just over halfway through the period.

Throughout the period, the Flames would keep the Vegas defense and Thompson on high alert. Off a pass from Brayden McNabb with 4:37 left, Brett Howden scored his first goal of the season with a tip in past Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom to give the Golden Knights a 2-0 first period lead in Calgary. Milan Lucic was called for hooking against Nicolas Roy with 2:27 left, putting the Knights on the power play for the first time in the game. Overall, a very productive power play for the Golden Knights getting a pair of shots on goal.

Score after one period of play: Golden Knights 2, Flames 0

Overall impressions of the first period of play:
– Spreading the wealth offensively continues for the Golden Knights. William Carrier and Brett Howden each with goals to open the scoreboard against Calgary.
– Defense still needs work.  Golden Knights gave up 13 shots in the period despite having a good cushion on the scoreboard.
– Logan Thompson has been really clutch, the first period was spectacular for the potential Calder Trophy candidate.

First Period Grades
Offense: A+ | Defense: B- | Special Teams: B+ | Goaltending: A+

Second Period Breakdown – Down in Flames

The second period began with Keegan Kolesar making an impressive shot on goal against Markstrom. Zach Whitecloud was called for roughing on Blake Coleman with 17:52 left in the second period to give the Flames a power play. The penalty kill did its job, but another power play was given almost immediately after the first ended as Alex Martinez was called for tripping on Toffoli. Elias Lindholm would get a power play goal seconds in, but the Golden Knights would win a challenge wiping out the goal on interference.

With 9:52 left, the Flames would go back on the power play after an interference call was made against William Carrier on Kevin Rooney. Lindholm would volleyball the puck past Thompson on the power play cutting the Golden Knights lead in half to make it 2-1. With 8:06 remaining, McNabb was called for tripping, which led to a Toffoli power play goal with 6:41 left in the second. The Toffoli goal would tie the score a two a piece. A minute later, Karlsson would get called for cross-checking, putting the Flames back on the power play, Whitecloud would get called for roughing sending the Golden Knights to the box for a franchise  record sixth time in the period.

Score after one period of play: Golden Knights 2, Flames 2

Overall impressions of the first period of play:
– Too many penalties. Spend time in the kitty litter box, you will eventually pay.
– Too many minutes spent on the penalty kill. Spend extended time short handed, you will pay.
– What could go wrong, did go wrong. How the score is tied is beyond comprehension

Second Period Grades
Offense: C- | Defense: F | Special Teams: F | Goaltending: C+

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Third Period Breakdown – No sense of urgency

The third period began with eight seconds remaining in the Whitecloud period. A hooking call on Toffoli with 18:35 left gave the Golden Knights a power play opportunity. The Flames looked impressive in the penalty kill giving them a shot on goal during the kill. Golden Knights seem to have cobwebs from the second period action. The Flames seem to want the game more and it showed in terms of energy and time with the puck.

Thompson is the big reason why the score is only 2-2 and not 4-2. Nikita Zadorov was called for hooking on Chandler Stephenson with 8:47 remaining in the period putting the Golden Knights on the power play for the fourth time in the game. Reilly Smith would hit the crossbar on a shot during the power play, which was very productive.

With just over six minutes remaining, Thompson would make an unbelievable save. The heroics would fade two minutes later with a tip in go-ahead goal for Mikael Backlund to give the Flames a 3-2 lead with 4:29 remaining. Thompson would come out of the net with just under two minutes remaining, The Golden Knights were unable to make an impact on net to tie the game resulting in a 3-2 loss.

Final Score – Flames 3, Golden Knights 2

Overall impressions of the third period of play:
– Logan Thompson was nothing short of spectacular in net for the Golden Knights.
– Flames played like they wanted it more and it showed. Golden Knights only managed to get five shots on goal in the third period.
– There was no sense of urgency from Vegas in the third period.

Third Period Grades
Offense: D- | Defense: D | Special Teams: C+ | Goaltending: A-

Three Takes on Game Knight #4

1 – Spend extended time in the box, you will eventually pay
Six penalties in the second period was the ultimate killer and it showed not only on the scoreboard, but on the stat sheet. In every way, the Flames, were ready to pounce when it came time to capitalize on those opportunity. The good thing is the season is young. There is time to work on solving this.

2 – Logan Thompson was excellent and it showed
The amazing thing was Logan Thompson actually gave the Golden Knights a chance to walk out of Calgary with some points. Yes, the Flames scored three goals to win the game, but they also had an eye-popping 40 total shots on goal. If he continues to play like he did against the Flames, Kings and Blackhawks, the Golden Knights will have something special on their hands over the course of the season.

3 – The first test was a failure
The game against the Flames was the start of a major test for the Golden Knights to find out what kind of hockey team they will be this season. The next three games include a trip to Winnipeg and Colorado, followed by a road game against the always dangerous Toronto Maple Leafs. After the game, Bruce Cassidy was asked about the game in general alluding to the upcoming games as well.

"“I don’t think we passed the test. We didn’t get cheated, they won. They were better than us over the course of 60 minutes.” – Bruce Cassidy on the Golden Knights performance in Calgary."

We will see how this team bounces back from a loss with a date in Winnipeg, It is a game that the Golden Knights are expected to win.