3 takeaways from the Golden Knights Rookie Faceoff victory over the Los Angeles Kings
The Vegas Golden Knights opened their Rookie Faceoff challenge with a 2-0 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Here are three takeaways from the first night.
The UNLV Runnin' Rebels had a big game against the Kansas Jayhawks on Friday, taking on a Big 12 team in their stadium. The pressure wasn't too much for UNLV as they continued their undefeated march, "rock, chalk, Jayhawking" Kansas, 23-20. It was a hard-fought victory that shared the spotlight with another monumental event: the unofficial return of Vegas Golden Knights hockey.
There's nothing better than getting a taste of hockey, even in September. The fast-paced action, the electric moves, and the hard hits make the long wait worth it. It starts with the 2024 Rookie Faceoff, where six teams see what their prospects are made of. It happens that the Golden Knights are one of these participants in this tournament, giving fans something to watch.
After all, who doesn't love watching the future unfold before your eyes? You could be watching the next Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin play, impressing fans with their incredible moves. Fans love predicting what will happen five years from now, anyway. Who knows? UNLV could make the College Football Playoff by that time.
But back to the Golden Knights for a second, where they defeated the Los Angeles Kings, 2-0. Fans saw what big names like Carl Lindbom and Mathieu Cataford were capable of, watching them impress the crowd with their skills. In fact, there was nearly a goaltender goal on an empty net (more on that later).
Let's dive into that game by exploring three key takeaways from Vegas's victory over the Kings. Overall, it was a strong outing that revealed the team's opportunistic group. But who were the superstars that stood out in Friday's victory? What were some strong points for the Golden Knights?
1.) Jakub Brabenec had a strong offensive showing for the Vegas Golden Knights
A previous piece mentioned how Jakub Brabenec needed a strong performance to elevate his standing within the Vegas Golden Knights organization. He didn't stand out much in the minor league system and was hoping for a pick-me-up to start the Rookie Faceoff. Boy, did he get that with this incredible goal in the first period.
food for thought: Jakub Brabenec can score goals, but he isn't old enough to rent a car 🙃 pic.twitter.com/JNiIGxqKVG
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) September 14, 2024
Getting a beautiful feed from Mathieu Cataford, the Czech forward capitalized on a scoring opportunity to score the first goal of the game. It showed promise in the power play unit, displaying a cohesiveness historically lacking at the NHL level. With a tic-tac-toe attack setting up a wrist shot on the stick side, fans can rest easy knowing Vegas will improve their special teams unit.
As for Brabenec? His performance against the Los Angeles Kings was desperately craved. The front office and coaching staff were looking for something from the forward and he delivered. He could make his way to the NHL level with spectacular timing and comfort on the offensive attack. If he plays more with Cataford, Brabenec can develop into a skilled goal scorer.
2.) The Golden Knights have some excellent goaltending prospects
It's been mentioned countless times about how promising the Vegas Golden Knights are regarding goaltending prospects. Kelly McCrimmon has done a great job stocking up on younger talent to prepare for the future. That includes Pavel Moysevich, Jesper Vikman, and Carl Lindbom. Such a tandem shut out the Los Angeles Kings on the first night of the Rookie Faceoff.
Vikman had a solid performance, stopping 11 shots as the first-half goaltender. He stood his ground well and was quick on his feet. Lindbom stepped in and stopped 14 shots after, enduring a late 6-on-5 onslaught. The Kings had numerous scoring opportunities in the offensive zone in the third period, setting up solid passes. However, the Swedish goaltender followed the puck well and was poised under pressure.
Carl Lindbom nearly scored an empty net goal as well, a la Ron Hextall. Overall, the balanced performance indicated Vegas will have no problem finding a goaltending tandem. Given Bruce Cassidy's emphasis on defense and forechecking makes life easy for netminders, that's great news for the duo.
3.) Overall, a strong display for Vegas at the Rookie Faceoff
The Vegas Golden Knights rookies showed fight and resilience in their 2-0 victory against the Los Angeles Kings. They had a solid defensive performance that made life easy for their goaltenders, while their forwards had creative scoring opportunities. Plenty of players contributed to the attack, whether on the power play or an odd-man rush.
Aside from Jakub Brabenec's first period goal, there was also a beautiful Braeden Bowman goal in the third period. He shifted and got a glove-side goal, putting the game out of reach against the Kings. Overall, Vegas's rookies showed incredible poise and puckhandling abilities against Los Angeles, who were unable to respond in kind.
But that wasn't the only noteworthy moment of the game. Joe Fleming got into a fight with the 6'7" John Parker Jones in the second period. He held his own against the towering giant despite falling to the ice (and getting back up). This type of fighting spirit should inspire Golden Knights fans about the future, giving them hope that the contention window won't close for a while.
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