Alex Pietrangelo Return Spoiled By 4-2 Loss to LA Kings

The return of Alex Pietrangelo wasn’t a great night for anyone on the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury had a couple of mistakes end up in the back of the net. The forwards never really found a way to establish themselves in the offensive zone. The defense surrendered a lot of chances and the LA Kings capitalized in a 4-2 win over the Golden Knights on Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena.

Yes, it was one of those games you’d rather forget.

Vegas once again began the game by falling behind early, giving up the first goal just 1:58 into the game, and LA twice built a two-goal lead before the Golden Knights cut into it.

That’s not to say it was all bad for the VGK. They did have some chances but for the most part when they did Kings goaltender Cal Pederson was solid. After a slow first period in which they managed only eight shots, Vegas then fired 33 shots over the final two periods but still managed only two goals.

For the most part, the Golden Knights were held to the outside for those chances by the Kings. Some great chances came off the rush, but this Golden Knights team is going to have to figure out how to establish its cycle game far more often.

Tom’s Takeaways:

• Not the best night for Marc-Andre Fleury. A couple of times he made errors that ended up in the back of the VGK net. It didn’t help that the defense was caught flat-footed a couple times as well. All-in-all, a forgettable outing on the defensive side.
• Alec Martinez blocked a shot off his foot during the game and although he kept on going, I know from experience once you take the skate-off is when that thing starts to swell. Hopefully, it’s not too bad and he doesn’t miss any time.
• Alex Pietrangelo did indeed make his return to the lineup from LTIR and was noticeable all game long. He ended the night with seven of the Golden Knights 41 shots. Pietrangelo also managed four blocks on the night as well.
• Fortunately, there’s no time to dwell on the loss as the VGK gets right back to it tomorrow night against the Minnesota Wild.