Golden Knights Takeaways: Stone’s Back, First Impressions of Kessel

The captain called his shot.

With just 24.3 seconds left to go in a tie game against the Los Angeles Kings, Mark Stone scored the game-winning goal for the Vegas Golden Knights Tuesday night.

It was an energetic season premiere for season six of the Golden Knights. They will be back home on Thursday to play the Chicago Blackhawks at T-Mobile Arena at 7:00 pm.

Until then, here is who/what stood out in the Golden Knight’s first win of the season.

Golden Knight’s Takeaways

Mark Stone is Back

No, not Mark Stone’s literal back. That’s the thing that limited him to just 37 games last season. We’re referring to Mark Stone being back as a top winger in the National Hockey League.

His game-winning goal was the cherry on top. Even without it, he had an impressive game taking away pucks in the neutral zone and on the forecheck with Brett Howden and Chandler Stephenson.

“It just feels good to be out there with the guys. 37 games last year or whatever it was, was hard. I’m glad I feel the way I feel right now, and I’m excited for Thursday,” said Stone.

#ExpressiveMarkStone made his first appearance of the 2022-23 season, and the rest of the Golden Knights took notice. Certainly a good first step in the injury revenge tour for Mark Stone.

“I think we build off that; he’s our captain, he’s our leader, and to see him so fired up, I was fired up for him. So it’s awesome to see that back,” said Logan Thompson

Fourth Line Grind

After being called out in the preseason by head coach Bruce Cassidy, the Golden Knight’s fourth line of Nicolas Roy, Keegan Kolesar, and Paul Cotter have significantly improved their game.

The trio held onto the puck for significant offensive zone time against the Kings and wore out some of their defenders. With Jack Eichel’s line usually being next in the forward rotation order, this could be a strategy for the Golden Knights.

They can wear out opposing teams with the 4th line and then bring in the big guns to score.

“They played the way they were supposed to with good o-zone puck possession, and they were never in trouble in their own end. They played against whoever they (The Kings) put out there. We were confident in them,” said Cassidy.

Kessel Impressions

Phil Kessel made his official Vegas Golden Knights debut on Tuesday night. He is now just seven games away from breaking the all-time consecutive games played record.

Among Kessel’s highlights was a good defensive play on the backcheck to stop Viktor Arvidsson after Pietrangelo pinched. He also had a nice pass to Eichel, who cut through the neutral zone for a chance.

But Kessel also took two stick penalties, one of which led to a goal. Hit or miss game for Phil.

Shooting Marchy

Before Stone’s late-game heroics, Jonathan Marchessault was going to be my player of the game. He was very opportunistic, shooting nearly everything, and worked well on the rush, scoring a goal.

Marchessault continues to be a heart and sole player for the VGK, no matter what line he was on. We should also mention William Karlsson, who finished the night with a goal and an assist.

“I think we deserved that win. I think everyone from the first puck drop we were all over them all game. I thought we deserved the two points,” said Thompson.

The Golden Knights are now 5-1 all-time in season openers, which is the best record in the NHL in this statistic. It’s ridiculously early, but the Golden Knights are first in the Pacific Division with two points!

Up next, the VGK will play their home opener on Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks at 7:00 pm.