You know, we all tend to be sinners in life. That's why we all need a second chance, you know? That way, we can learn from our mistakes and better ourselves. That's especially true with the Vegas Golden Knights.
They exorcised their demons (literally) by beating the New Jersey Devils on Friday, 3-0. Akira Schmid got his second shutout of the season, leading the Golden Knights to another win with 24 saves.
As for the goal scorers? Well, Shea Theodore had a snipe with 12 seconds left in the first period. There were also two power play goals, one from Tomas Hertl and one from Ivan Barbashev. The special teams were "devilishly good" for Vegas tonight.
But what are the three takeaways from a Golden Knights team suddenly on a three-game winning streak? Is this the Golden Knights team that everyone expected to start the season?
The Golden Knights set the pace early in a first period filled with "no goal" calls
In a period where "no goal" calls were the norm, the Golden Knights dominated the first period against the Devils. They camped out in the offensive zone and peppered Jacob Markstrom with an endless array of shots (10, in fact). Of course, it almost wasn't that way for the Golden Knights, as New Jersey nearly came away with a goal.
Timo Meier blistered a shot past Akira Schmid in the first period, only for it to be called off due to offside. Then, Pavel Dorofeyev nearly got his first goal since November 16, only for that to also be taken off the board. The reason? A high-stick.
Terrible 1st period for the #NJDevils, but it probably should still be a 0-0 game. Awful goal given up by Markstrom with 12 seconds left pic.twitter.com/i62w4Mep9Y
— Alex Chauvancy (@AlexC_NJD) December 6, 2025
Still, more periods like the first will result in a more dominant game for Vegas. They've struggled to put together complete performances, which was apparent in the second period on Friday. If there are more consistently strong performances and the Golden Knights will be tough to stop.
The referees were surprisingly conservative on penalty calls for Friday
Through two periods, there wasn't a single penalty call made by the referees. In fact, there were more "no goal" calls made in Friday's game than penalties. Of course, this isn't a surprising note considering how both teams operated.
The Devils entered Friday's game with 226 penalty minutes (23rd-most in the NHL), while the Golden Knights had the third-fewest penalty minutes (190). While some will say that Friday's game had the referees swallow their whistles, it was also a testament to both teams playing a clean style (you could've used Cole Reinhardt for a spot here, though).
After all, players like Mark Stone and Brett Howden were tripped without any calls. Still, it was refreshing to see a game go as quickly as Friday's did, especially without a hodgepodge of penalty calls. That could play in Vegas's favor down the road. Speaking of special teams...
Friday was a special teams clinic from the Golden Knights
Two penalties killed and two power play goals in the third period showed how the Golden Knights' special teams can turn it up in a minute. They had clean exits on both penalty kills and kept Markstrom on his toes all night.
Overall, it's a promising performance for a Golden Knights team that's starting to turn things around on both ends. For the penalty kill, they can suffocate their opponents with their sticks. For the power play, Mark Stone's return has been helpful here and for the overall offensive structure. In fact, Vegas was so good here that Devils fans were booing their own team.
If the special teams can continue growing for the Golden Knights, that will be good news for the team as it heads into May. It could make them into the "Evil Empire" that everyone expected them to be, making thousands of fans angry at their mere presence.