VGK Analysis: Golden Knights Steal Point; Lightning Strike in OT

On Sunday, the Vegas Golden Knights (5-1-3) played the second game of a back-to-back against the Tampa Bay Lightning (3-4-2). They again started slowly, but their rookie goaltender Carl Lindbom kept them in the game. They stole a point but ultimately fell to the Lightning in overtime by a score of 2-1.

The Lightning struck first and got on the board 4:35 into the first period. Jake Guentzel set up Victor Hedman for a one-timer, and Carl Lindbom made the save. Brandon Hagel got position on Zach Whitecloud and roofed the rebound.

The Golden Knights got themselves into some penalty trouble in the first, but avoided paying the price. Carl Lindbom stood tall and helped his team kill off a double minor.

The Golden Knights tied the game at 18:25 in the first. Shea Theodore sent a stretch pass to Reilly Smith that just eluded the reach of Nikita Kucherov. Smith entered the zone, pulled up, and threaded a cross-ice pass to William Karlsson. Karlsson drove into the circle and ripped off a shot that beat Andrei Vasilevskiy far-side.

For the second game in a row, the Golden Knights were lackluster offensively. Despite entering the first intermission tied at one, the Lightning outshot them 13-6 in the first period and controlled 74% of the Corsi. 

The Golden Knights survived a penalty-filled second period thanks to more spectacular play from their 22-year-old rookie goaltender. Lindbom saved all 11 shots he faced in the second, but the Golden Knights managed just two against Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Between the second and third periods, there was a stretch of 17:35 between the Golden Knights’ eighth and ninth shots on net. After finally managing their ninth shot, it took them another 9:10 to get their 10th. That’s just one shot in 26:45 against one of the best goaltenders in the world.

After that, the Golden Knights finally began to wake up offensively. They didn’t score, but they outshot the Lightning 11-3 in the third period. 

The Lightning ended the game just 33 seconds into overtime. Shea Theodore tried to dance around Brandon Hagel; Hagel knocked the puck off his stick towards Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov and Hagel took off on a 2-on-1 against Jack Eichel, and Kucherov finished off a give-and-go.

Three stars of the game: Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Brandon Hagel

7 Golden Knights Observations

1. If Carl Lindbom was nervous making his NHL debut against a dangerous offensive team and an all-time great in Andrei Vasilevskiy, he didn’t show it. Lindbom was cool, calm, and collected. Even Vasilevskiy gave him a stick tap after the second period. Lindbom made 26 stops and finished with a positive GSAx.

2. Keegan Kolesar dropped the gloves with Emil Lilleberg just 31 seconds into the first period. If you remember, Lilleberg was the one who injured Tomáš Hertl with a dirty hit back in March. 

3. The Golden Knights allowed the first goal again. They have done so in seven of their nine regular season games.

4. Jeremy Lauzon can’t be an every-night defenseman for the Golden Knights. He constantly makes bad pinches, and he’s not a good enough skater to get back and make up for his mistakes. He took another penalty tonight— his seventh in nine games. 

5. The Golden Knights’ power play looks lost without Mark Stone. They are now 0-for-8 in three games without their captain. And they don’t just miss Stone– this season, Shea Theodore hasn’t been fantastic at the top of the umbrella. They miss Mitch Marner in that spot.

6. Right now, the Golden Knights’ saving grace is that their penalty kill looks phenomenal. They went 5-for-5 today, and they’ve killed off 14 in a row.

7. The Golden Knights were absolutely awful for two periods tonight; the Lightning outshot them 24-8 through 40 minutes. Carl Lindbom singlehandedly stole a point. It’s very unfortunate that the team couldn’t come through and get him a win in his NHL debut.