It was not a perfect Erica Henderson work of art. But it was still a beauty to watch! The Golden Knights scored three unanswered to beat the Boston Bruins at TD Garden, ending the road trip on a satisfying 2-2 note. Here are my three takeaways from a wicked awesome Saturday afternoon in Boston.
Part the clouds…time to shine!
Late in the second period, things were looking a little grim for the Golden Knights. A cringe defensive miscue from Ilya Samsonov in the back of his net quickly turned into 3-1. Offensively, it looked a lot like the Islanders game: a lot of action, not a lot of success. Then Zach Whitecloud let go a blast that squeezed past Jeremy Swayman to make it 3-2, and the tempo got lighter.
Pavel Dorofeyev scored just under five minutes into the third period, and it became a question of when Vegas would take the lead. For a few minutes, it looked like Dorofeyev again with 1:41 left until Goaltender Interference had its way. Then…[cue the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme]
Hertl Power 🐢 pic.twitter.com/aBwByKMtFo
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) February 8, 2025
Quick exit for Olofsson
A forward group that’s been bruised and battered for weeks took another hit this afternoon. Victor Olofsson left the game on his first shift 33 seconds in with an upper body injury after taking a puck to the cheek. It didn’t look gruesome at first glance, which is usually when the worst injuries happen regardless of the sport.
Outside of depth, there’s another area his absence could harm, if he’s gone awhile: the power play. It ended well today (2-for-4 off three shots). But the next three opponents for the Golden Knights (Vancouver, Los Angeles, Chicago) are top 12 in the league on the penalty kill. Boston? 25th. Just something to chew on the next few weeks, along with speculating who Kelly McCrimmon's going after heading into the deadline with William Karlsson on the LTIR now.
The Samsonov Smorgasbord
Once again, Samsonov bounced all over the place for most of the game. There were great moments, like the superb save on Morgan Geekie in the first. There were some bad moments, like the aforementioned 3-1 goal in the second period. Ultimately, he was smooth and calm when needed. Which, like Hill Thursday night, filtered to the rest of the team and led to the win.
Next on the Marquee:
There will be some rest, some relaxation, some 4 Nations hockey, some Captain America: Brave New World next week. Then it’s the Vancouver Canucks on February 22 in the Fortress at 7 P.M. They’re on a bit of a tear, winning four of their last six games coming into tonight’s game against Toronto. But with the rust of two weeks without hockey, it could prove (alongside the other 13 games) an interesting watch. Till then…