Daily Nuggets: Golden Knights Silver Linings; Old Friends Thrive

The Vegas Golden Knights suffered an overtime loss at the hands of one of the worst teams in the league, and yet, I found a few positive takeaways. And there’s a sense of honor in losing to Sidney Crosby when he’s at the top of his game. He’s only made a career out of making opposing teams look silly. The Golden Knights stole a point, but the Los Angeles Kings continued to gain ground in the standings.

Elsewhere in the Daily Nuggets, one of the league’s favorite pests got fed his lunch by a Big Bad Bruin. Two former Golden Knights are shining on their new team, and the Flyers witness the beauty of player development.

Golden Knights News

On Tuesday, the Golden Knights played one of their better defensive games this season. Unfortunately for them, they learned that Sidney Crosby is still one of the best players on the planet. They clawed their way back into the fight, tied it up late courtesy of a Noah Hanifin clapper… and lost 3-2 in overtime. My analysis here:

The Golden Knights struggled to generate offense on Tuesday against a Penguins team that has allowed more goals than any other team in the league, save for the San Jose Sharks. You’d think they played a poor game, but that’s not the whole story. Here’s my report card on last night’s loss—please take it home, have one of your parents sign it, and return it to my desk by Monday.

The Golden Knights still lead the Pacific Division by five points, but they have two teams breathing down their neck. They stole a point on Tuesday, but the Los Angeles Kings secured two against the New York Islanders.

The Athletic ($): The Athletic staff dives into analytical numbers to determine which teams have the best chance of winning the Stanley Cup. The Golden Knights aren’t favorites, but they’re still contenders.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: For the most part, the Golden Knights played well and lost; the Penguins did not but won. Hockey is a funny game sometimes. Dan Kingerski hands out player grades of his own– heads up, he’s a much harsher marker than I am.

New Jersey Hockey Now: A few former Golden Knights are becoming integral parts of this Devils team. Old friend Paul Cotter got off the schneid on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and first-ever VGK draft pick Cody Glass continues to impress.

Boston Hockey Now: The Bruins met their rival Florida Panthers on Tuesday, and as always, it didn’t disappoint. Sam Bennett tried to chuck ‘em with Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov; instead, he learned a valuable lesson about fighting outside one’s weight class.

Philly Hockey Now: There’s something magical about watching an offensive defenseman go to work. Jamie Drysdale is learning to be a rover and is developing just as the Flyers had hoped.