Daily Nuggets: Fleury’s Last Stand; Marchand Trade Fallout

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! The whole league is still nursing a hangover following the trade deadline— I got a solid six hours of sleep on Saturday night for the first time in months— but there’s still news. The Golden Knights lost to their rival Los Angeles Kings but still have a hefty lead in the Pacific Division. However, if the two teams face off in the postseason, it could spell bad news for the Golden Knights.

Elsewhere in the Daily Nuggets, players are acclimating to their new teams. Mikko Rantanen and Logan Stankoven scored in their respective debuts; even Golden Knights draft pick Cody Glass is getting in on the fun! Reports are emerging about how the Bruins fumbled Brad Marchand, and Marc-André Fleury faced the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final time.

Golden Knights News

The Los Angeles Kings beat the Golden Knights on Sunday, securing two points in the standings and taking the season series 3-1. The Golden Knights mounted a late comeback to make the box score look like the game was competitive but ran out of time and fell short. However, there were some positives; my analysis here:

The Kings are a problem— for the Golden Knights, that is. The final score was 6-5, but the game wasn’t that close. The Kings are the anti-Golden Knights, and I’ve figured out why. I’ll release a full analysis in a few hours.

The Athletic($): It’s report card time! The Athletic staff reviewed every team’s trade deadline and handed out grades; they gave the Golden Knights a B.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

RMNB: He’s really going to do it, isn’t he? The Washington Capitals beat the Seattle Kraken 4-2 on Sunday, and guess who hit the empty net? Oh yeah. Alex Ovechkin is nine goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky’s record. But, honestly, the most entertaining part of the game was when a full-fledged brawl erupted, resulting in all 10 players on the ice being sent to Washington DC’s hottest club: The Sin Bin.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: On Sunday afternoon, former Golden Knight Marc-André Fleury faced his first team for the last time. The Penguins won, and Sidney Crosby had some parting chirps for his old friend.

Boston Hockey Now: Two captains have been scorned in less than a calendar year. First, it was the Tampa Bay Lightning with Steven Stamkos. What the Bruins did to Brad Marchand might somehow be worse.

New Jersey Hockey Now: First-ever Golden Knights draft pick Cody Glass is a Devil, and he’s fitting right in. His play elevated his new team to a much-needed win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday.

Philly Hockey Now: Flyers head coach John Tortorella holds young rookie phenom Matvei Michkov to a high standard. Torts benched him again on Sunday; when reporters asked, he gave a vague answer that leaves room for speculation.

Colorado Hockey Now: Less than a week ago, the Avalanche’s center depth was a problem. The same can be said today, but it has a new meaning now: they might be the deepest team down the middle. That spells bad news for the rest of the league.

NHL History: On March 10th, 1992, Al Arbour became the second coach to reach 700 wins, joining only Scotty Bowman.