Silver Knights show they're getting there with gritty losses to Abbotsford

Let's be honest. Last season was an unmitigated disaster for the Henderson Silver Knights. The AHL club went 29-38-3-2, earning 63 points along the way. That was good for... *drumroll, please*

...Last place in the Pacific Division.

It's a far cry from making the Pacific Division Final in your first season. Suddenly, the Silver Knights have tanked so hard that fans have forgotten about the franchise. In a land of incredible Nevada state teams, you're relegated to being the awful middle child. Everyone knows how painful that can be *hello, party of one*.

On the surface, it appears that trend would continue with two losses to the defending Calder Cup champions, the Abbotsford Canucks. Losing the first game in overtime, 2-1, and the other in regulation, 4-2, doesn't inspire much confidence in fans. However, there's more than what appears on the surface for the Silver Knights.

In fact, some positives can be taken from the first two games. I know, "positives" and "Silver Knights" in the same sentence, har har har. After all, there's nowhere to go but up for the middling AHL franchise. Let's look at some positives for the Silver Knights as we get the ball rolling on a new AHL season, shall we?

What positives can Henderson Silver Knights fans take from the first two games against the Abbotsford Canucks?

Let's look at the first game as an example of a positive. Henderson was down, 2-1, late in the third period. The goaltender was pulled and the Silver Knights were throwing everything at the wall in hopes that it would stick. Lo and behold, Tanner Laczynski scores the equalizer to send the game to overtime.

While Henderson lost in overtime, sending the game to overtime showed one quality lacking from last season. This team's not going down without a fight. When the odds were stacked against Henderson to earn a point, the guys pulled through and didn't give up. Imagine what they could do against lesser competition throughout the season, stealing games in the process.

Another positive was the Silver Knights causing Abbotsford trouble throughout the short series. The next game, Henderson took a 2-0 lead on goals by Tuomas Uronen and Raphael Lavoie. While Henderson lost that game, 4-2, the gang still caught the Canucks by surprise.

Granted, they must learn how to hold a lead in these situations. That means clamping down defensively and clogging shooting lanes. That's what made the Vegas Golden Knights one of the best teams in the league. They're able to divert attackers from getting ripe scoring opportunities and capitalize on their mistakes.

If the Silver Knights can duplicate this, it'll make life much easier for Carl Lindbom, Cameron Whitehead, and company. You can't expect your netminder to carry you in games, especially if your blue line isn't playing solid stay-at-home defense. That's what hurt the Golden Knights in their first two games, leaving Adin Hill and Akira Schmid exposed. The good news is that the season just got underway and Henderson still has plenty of time to make adjustments.