Vegas Golden Knights have more tricks up their sleeve
After a very mediocre start to the season, the Vegas Golden Knights looked like a one trick pony. However, they have roared back and have won six straight games.
On Jan. 6, the Vegas Golden Knights won their sixth straight game against the New Jersey Devils, tying the Calgary Flames for first place in the Pacific Division. They are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games and 17-3-3 since November 10. It’s safe to say that this team has been on fire.
At 34 years old, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury leads all goalies in games played (38) and wins (24). He has been great for the team with a .912 save percentage and a 2.49 goals against average. Fleury already has six shutouts, leading the league by a mile (the next best is three). When a goaltender constantly gives you these kinds of performances, it makes it a little easier to win on a nightly basis.
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During the six-game win streak, Fleury has started four games and backup goaltender Malcolm Subban has started two. The latter has not been very good all season, but ever since he let in seven goals in the Calgary game in November, he has been solid. He has not let in more than two goals in his last three games and has given the team and himself much more confidence.
“He was outstanding tonight, played a real good solid game for us, it was good … Subby made some real key saves. There was traffic in front of the net, and there was a couple of rebounds there so he stood tall and stood strong in there. It was an excellent job to win a hockey game.”
The Golden Knights are not just getting clutch goaltending. They are also getting scoring from a lot of different players from their lineup. The Golden Knights have five players with at least 10 goals and 7 players with at least 20 points. Alex Tuch, their team leader in points, is on the second line. Ryan Reaves had his eighth goal of the season against the Devils, reaching a career-high in that department.
In their last six games, Max Pacioretty (twice), Brandon Pirri (twice), Tuch, and Reilly Smith scored the game winners. Pirri has been bouncing between the AHL and NHL as usual. But in seven games with the Golden Knights, he has six goals and three assists. The Golden Knights are getting goals from everywhere in the lineup and that’s what makes this team so difficult to defend against.
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This team continues to surprise the league as they constantly get ridiculous production from players no one expects. Reaves has reached a career-high in goals and points, Tuch is four points away from his previous career high of last season, having played less than half of the games. The Golden Knights’ magic has not worn off yet and if they continue to play with this dominance, this team will be poised to finish what they started.