I went to the game on January 9, 2025, between the New York Islanders and the Vegas Golden Knights. It was supposed to be a fun night on the Strip, getting back from CES and finishing an article about the annual conference. However, a fun night at Beerhaus turned into a complete disaster. And no, I'm not talking about accidentally kicking a dwarf gypsy witch who proceeded to cast a curse on me.
I'm talking about the Golden Knights getting shutout by a score of 4-0. Bo Horvat was one of four Islanders to score a goal, propelling them back into the Eastern Conference playoff race. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights were losing their iron grip on the Pacific Division, with Connor McHolySocks and the Edmonton Oilers rapidly gaining ground.
With the Islanders and Golden Knights going at it again on Tuesday, one area must be improved upon. After all, you don't want Connor McCrossCheck and company getting home-ice advantage until the Western Conference Final, do you? That's a fate nobody wants to see, especially with a certain media company focusing on superstar athletes like they're on TMZ. Get your scalpels and stethoscopes out, dear reader. It's time to diagnose the last matchup and what went wrong before the cast of Jersey Shore fights Keegan Kolesar.
The Vegas Golden Knights must win more face-offs against the New York Islanders
Going back to that January 9th game, the New York Islanders won 28 faceoffs against the Vegas Golden Knights. That's good for 63.6%, which is an overwhelming stat. Now, I know what you're thinking after seeing this.
"Why do faceoffs matter?"
"What does this stat have to do with anything?"
For one, it sets up the entire play. When you're in the offensive zone, you're looking for a quick draw where you can catch the defense off-guard. If you're in the defensive zone, you want to create a quick exit or go into transition before any damage is done.
What Patrick Roy did on January 9 was deploy Bo Horvat for nearly every faceoff. Believe it or not, it... worked. Horvat won 11 of 14 faceoffs that game (78.6%). What it led to was exiting out of the defensive zone successfully and setting up prime scoring opportunities in the offensive end. The result? A 4-0 victory for the group from Long Island.
Overall, Horvat has a faceoff percentage of 60.5%, winning 407 faceoffs in 2024-25. He's been the go-to player for maintaining possession and setting up plays for the Islanders. The key will be countering Horvat in this regard. William Karlsson has the best faceoff percentage on the Golden Knights (minimum of 10 games) at 58.9%. However, he's out on a week-to-week basis (lower-body injury). Therefore, watch for players such as Brett Howden (54.8%) and Tomas Hertl (56.6%) here.
That game on January 9 was a complete disaster for the Golden Knights. They were outhit (19-12), had fewer blocked shots (21-8) and had more giveaways (18-14). Simply put, they were outplayed. Tuesday's game against the Islanders offers the opportunity for redemption from that fateful night, starting in the faceoff circle.