Comeback falls short against Avalanche
The defending Stanley Cup champions came to Vegas after playing at home the night before. Its offense seemed for the vast majority of the game, on point There was never a point in the game where they did not trail. The game was the second of back to back games for the Avalanche.
First Period Breakdown
The Golden Knights offense wasted no time getting some shots off on Avalanche goaltender Alexandr Georgiev. Mark Stone launched a shot early on to set the tone. The offense is looking for some big, early goals with some heavy action within the first two minutes of play. Colorado with shots by Cale Makar and Nate McKinnon would give Logan Thompson a big test early. With 13:01 left in the period, the Avalanche got a power play with a Shea Theodore tripping call, which was highly questionable. McKinnon would get a goal to give the Avalanche a 1-0 lead.
Colorado’s offensive onslaught resulted in a major advantage with seven minutes remaining. The Golden Knights went without a shot on goal from the 1:49 mark. Alex Martinez had a shot 16 minutes after the Golden Knights got off to a fast start. Miko Rantanen was called for a slashing on Theodore giving the Golden Knights a potential split period power play with 1:08 left in the period. Off passes by Stone and Jack Eichel, Jonathan Marchessault found the net to tie the contest at 1-1 a piece. The assist by Stone was the 300th of his NHL career.
Score after one period of play: Golden Knights 1, Avalanche 1
Overall impressions of the first period of play:
– The lack of offense was a major talking point of the period. The Avalanche were moving the puck around a lot and the Golden Knights were on thin ice for most of period.
– Marcfessault continues to thrive when he has the opportunities on the ice, The first period goal was his fifth of the season.
– McKinnon and Makar are good but the Golden Knights seem to have trouble maintaining and limiting their production.
First Period Grades
Offense: B- | Defense: C- | Special Teams: C- | Goaltending: A+
Second Period Breakdown
Thompson would continue his fantastic play in net for the Golden Knights as Valeri Nichushkin would nearly put the Avalanche in front early in the period. A delayed penalty lasted about a minute as the Avalanche would move around on a Brett Howden slashing call on Cale Makar. Evan Rodrigues would knock one in for a power play goal putting Colorado up 2-1 with 13:40 left in the period.
McKinnon and Makar continues to be a major headache for the Golden Knights defensively. Too much time being spent in their own goal is eating the Golden Knights defense alive. That being said, Thompson is making noise across the league. With eight minutes left, the offense finally got moving as Josh Manson was called for holding on Howden giving the Golden Knights a power play. Nicolas Roy launched a shot on Georgiev with the power play unit getting in some chances,. The Golden Knights offense would continue to make some moves. With .2 left on the clock, McKinnon was called for holding on Stone resulting in a full power play to start the third period for the Golden Knights.
Score after two periods of play: Avalanche 2, Golden Knights 1
Overall impressions of the second period of play:
– Logan Freaking Thompson. What can you say?? Despite giving up the power play goal, the netminder continues to impress. Thompson and Hill in goal are a big reason why the Golden Knights have the record they do.
– Offense finally got moving late in the second period. The Golden Knights took their time on offense to give themselves a fighting chance. The way the Avalanche started to control the narrative needed to change.
– Power Play looking better and better as the season moves along. Despite not scoring, this is a positive sign of things to come.
Second Period Grades
Offense: A | Defense: B- | Special Teams: B | Goaltending: A+
Third Period Breakdown
Starting the third period on the power play down a goal, Phil Kessel would get two shots on goal for the Golden Knights. After a couple of minute at even strength, The Golden Knights were back on the power play with a J.T. Compher hooking call on Eichel and it was not really a productive one for them. The Golden Knights need to take advantage of the opportunities. It would take Colorado nearly eight minutes and Nichushkin would take the first shot past Thompson resulting in a 3-1 lead.
For most of the period there was zero urgency from Vegas,. Chandler Stephenson, off passes from Eichel and Stone, would put the Golden Knights within one with 9:28 remaining in their third. Karlsson would get a massive chance with 6:17 left to go but was denied by Georgiev. The line change from Cassidy resulted in an Eichel-Stone-Stephenson first line combination and it was rather productive. Thompson would leave the bench with 2:30 left giving the Golden Knights an extra attacker. The Golden Knights spent too much time trying to set up a shot in the waning seconds of the game. Eichel had a shot but Georgiev was able to stop it.
Final Score – Avalanche 3, Golden Knights 1
Overall impressions of the third of play:
– Overall, the Golden Knights did play well but at the same time, there is no excuses for the Golden Knights to continue to not capitalize on their opportunities with the roster they have. This must be addressed. Execution needs to improve in a big way.
– Loading the lines improved things. The first line of Eichel, Stephenson and Stone works and should be the first line going forward until some other changes are necessary.
– Thompson kept the Golden Knights in the game, the third period goal was not his fault.
Third Period Grades
Offense: B | Defense: B+ | Special Teams: D | Goaltending: A+
Three Takes on Game Knight #6
1 – Making things happen is crucial
The Golden Knights spent most of the game just watching the puck. The lack of execution simply cannot happen against good teams like Colorado and Calgary. There needs to be more of a sense of urgency. Spending too much time in their own zone will cost you whether it is even strength, on the power play or the penalty kill. Outside of the Seattle game, there has not been a complete game.
2 – The Avalanche goals were not fault of Thompson
The shots the Avalanche scored on, were decent shots that the vast majority of the goaltenders in the league would miss. Thompson is an elite goaltender blossoming before our eyes. The season is long and there will be games that have this result. The defense did not play horrible but they were stuck defending against two of the leagues top talents in Makar and McKinnon.
3 – This game was a learning experience for the Golden Knights
While it is true, the Golden Knights will not win every night and this game is a perfect example of that. It is games like this that will give the Golden Knights the opportunity to find areas where they can improve. It was also a measuring stick game to see whether or not they can compete with the league’s elite teams.
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