Do you want to know what annoys me? It's when I'm working and about to wrap everything up. I'm typing up my reports like a good soldier and am gearing up to submit my work. That's when somebody decides to submit an army of cases last-minute.
But in all seriousness, Quinton Byfield might also be up there. The Los Angeles Kings forward scored a goal and an assist in Wednesday's season-opener. Not only that, but he saved a goal on Jack Eichel to preserve the Kings' lead.
The good news? The Golden Knights have that new guy, Mitch Marner, to pair with Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev. The trio combined for eight points on Wednesday, including an Eichel goal and a goal from Ivan Barbashev. It's easy to say they were excellent throughout the game, showing the world what they were capable of doing.
Still, that annoying part showed up again, like late submissions. The Kings scored two third-period goals, including a Trevor Moore shorthanded goal off a turnover. This would require a shootout at T-Mobile Arena to settle the game.
In turn, those pesky Kings would win in a shootout, 6-5. Los Angeles had two goals while Vegas had one, failing to convert as Anton Forsberg stuffed Mitch Marner. Make that four straight wins for Los Angeles against the Golden Knights. Now, that's annoying.
But let's break this game down from a couple of angles. What worked for the Golden Knights (aside from the obvious top line magic)? What could be greatly improved as the season wears on? Thank goodness it's only the first game because this would've been a disaster in a high-stakes situation.
Who stood out for the Vegas Golden Knights?
First, the power play was on point for the Golden Knights. The Los Angeles Kings made numerous miscues late in the second period, including an Alex Turcotte five-minute major for boarding. That led to two power play goals to draw everything even for Vegas.
Much controversy has been made about a five-forward power play throughout the summer for the Golden Knights. However, the unit looks beyond spectacular after they punished the Kings throughout the night.
On that note, Pavel Dorofeyev was on point for the Golden Knights by scoring a hat trick. He was part of the excellent power play that prevailed, sniping shots easily. Many people worried about the Russian winger being hurt heading into the regular season. In fact, he was a game-time decision heading into Wednesday. However, he's quelled those concerns with a strong season opener.
What could've gone better for the Golden Knights?
Let's be honest. It wasn't the greatest night for Adin Hill. The goaltender did face some tough screens and redirections during the game. However, he was responsible for letting soft goals in, including Jeff Malott's second-period goal. Overall, he stopped 21 of 26 shots on the night, which was an underwhelming performance for the season opener.
But that wasn't the only problem with the Golden Knights on Wednesday. Remember when Vegas had problems scoring in the first period during the preseason? In fact, they didn't have a first-period goal throughout the preseason, raising some concerns among Golden Knights fans.
Well, that rear-ugly trend "reared" its ugly face again as the Kings outscored the Golden Knights, 2-0. If Vegas is serious about winning another Stanley Cup, they must do better at getting off on better starts. Otherwise, there will be a hole they can't dig themselves out of in another game.