Win streak is over as Reilly Smith secures another shorty on Blues
942. Final. 3. 99. 2
The Vegas Golden Knights entered the opening game of a three game homestand against the St. Louis Blues along with nine straight victories. Coming off a perfect five game road trip and a win over the Buffalo Sabres, the Golden Knights would eventually find themselves playing comeback as the second period continues to be a period where they get caught napping. Giving up two goals in 41 seconds will hurt no matter what the circumstances are. The big positive was Reilly Smith getting his third short handed goal of the season. On the flip side, Jordan Binnington looked really good in net for the Blues. Saving 22 shots in the third and 34 overall is very impressive considering the high powered offense of the Golden Knights was ready to pounce.
First period impressions – Dead in the water
The Golden Knights started off the game just looking flat. The lack of aggression would ultimately lead to a Brandon Saad goal with 10:13 left in the opening period. A few seconds later, a cross-checking penalty on Brett Howden gave the Blues their first power play of the night. Just 30 seconds into the penalty kill, Reilly Smith would collect his third short-handed goal of the season to tie the game 1-1 a piece. Howden would later nearly redeem himself with a spectacular shot that Jordan Binnington miraculously saved.
Second Period Impressions – Smith gets a shorty!
Phil Kessel got things off to a good start in the second with his third goal of the season resulting in the Golden Knights getting a 2-1 lead with 17:17 left to go. Adin Hill would make a great save off the stick of Nikita Alexandrov. He would continue to make great saves in the period. The Golden Knights were creating plenty of scoring opportunities while Hill countered on the Blues. A Nic Roy tripping call put the Blues on the power play for the second time in the game. The Blues were very aggressive offensively and this led to the Blues scoring two goals in 41 seconds apart.
Third Period impressions – Offense awakens
The Blues would get another power play early on in the third period and it resulted in a successful penalty kill for the Golden Knights, but seconds later Zach Whitecloud would go to the box for a delay of game. The offense would finally create some chances midway through the period with none of them able to land past Binnington. The Golden Knights would outshoot the Blues 22-5 in the period. Jordan Binnington was spectacular in net for the Blues, give credit where credit is due.
Post-Game Grades
B-. The offense got their chances and a 3-2 loss certainly stings but it was not for a lack of effort. Outshooting the Blues 22-5 in the third is a good sign that the offense practically was still in a good place. Getting off to a slow start in this game was certainly understandable considering they were coming off a five game road trip. Offense will be fine. Jordan Binnington deserves a lot of credit for the Blues picking up the win.. . Vegas Golden Knights. OFFENSE
B-. The defense for the most part did its job. The only thing is, giving up two second period goals in 41 seconds is not a good thing. In this case, it was just unfortunate that the two goal spurt would be the difference in the game. Making the adjustments after going through sone jet lag is tough to deal with and we knew the streak would end.. . Vegas Golden Knights. DEFENSE
SPECIAL TEAMS . A+. The Golden Knights did not have a power play opportunity as the Blues found a way to stay out of the penalty box. Reily Smith did get his third short-handed goal of the season as the penalty kill also did its job,.. . Vegas Golden Knights
GOALTENDING . A-. Adin Hill for the most part, kept the Golden Knights in the game with a chance to covert another start into a win. Giving up two goals in 41 seconds certainly sucks and it stings even more when it is the difference between winning a game and losing one. Hill deserves a lot of credit for the night. It was a game in which the Golden Knights were, again, working through jet lag and fatigue throughout.. . Vegas Golden Knights
Looking ahead
The Golden Knights will have two more home games over the course of the next week with San Jose on Tuesday night and Arizona on Thursday night. Ir is a good chance to earn more points against the Pacific Division.
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