GDT: Game 15: Winnipeg Jets at Vegas Golden Knights

[Vegas07]

This team sucks in overtime. 4 overtime games, ZERO goals in overtime. Just 2 shootout wins and 2 overtime losses.

Seems like the team wants to go home early starting in the 3rd period.

 

[Vegan Knight]

I said it last year, I’d rather find new and inventive ways to lose, than losing the same way over and over.

If this continues even a few more games we may need to see a shock trade (what, he got traded?!?!!) to shake the team up and address a weakness, the defense flat out isn't good enough to win four playoff rounds so if it doesn't get something to help then everything else they try is academic.

 

[Knightmare]

I know what the problem is and it’s such a easy fix. When we go into the 3rd period up 3-1, we lose. So we need to go into the 3rd period being up 12-1. Then when the other team scores their obligatory 3 unanswered goals. . We still win by 8.

 

[Knightmare]

Also Engo’s charity work around this community really is quite stellar. As fantastic as it really is, it should be shared. Who are we to keep him here in Las Vegas for that? Imagine how many hearts and cities he can touch from the waiver wire. One small step for a team. One giant leap for humankind.

 

[hangman005]

Also Engo’s charity work around this community really is quite stellar. As fantastic as it really is, it should be shared. Who are we to keep him here in Las Vegas for that? Imagine how many hearts and cities he can touch from the waiver wire. One small step for a team. One giant leap for humankind.

I think he'd retire, before he hit the wire, possibly should have retired last season and I don't really have complaints about him signing for an extra year, except he should not be playing every game, He shouldn't be playing as many as is.

 

[hangman005]

This may be controversial, but McNabb needs to start taking penalties again, we were winning more games when he was

 

[theslatcher]

I think he'd retire, before he hit the wire, possibly should have retired last season and I don't really have complaints about him signing for an extra year, except he should not be playing every game, He shouldn't be playing as many as is.

I think the sad reality is Turk might be too scared to shake up PK1.

 

[Vegan Knight]

I think the sad reality is Turk might be too scared to shake up PK1.

The PK has been good and that has been where Engelland has played his best.

He made a bad pass instead of going behind the net for one goal but he wasn't worse than half our other defensemen today. He shouldn't play 60-65 games but he will. That's my only gripe.

Wouldn't even mind him being the 7-8D next season and playing 30-35 games and a veteran presence for the playoffs if needed.

 

[CupInSIX]

This team really misses Bellemare.

I like Nosek and all but the sooner Roy takes his spot on the 4th line the better.

 

[Vegan Knight]

This team really misses Bellemare.

I like Nosek and all but the sooner Roy takes his spot on the 4th line the better.

I don't think the improvement at 4C would have been the difference in winning these two games. They sit back and then quit.

But, yes. I think I would have preferred keeping Haula and Bellemare over Eakin. Even during the summer, not taking into account that Haula and Bellemare have had better starts than Eakin.

 

[theslatcher]

The PK has been good and that has been where Engelland has played his best.

He made a bad pass instead of going behind the net for one goal but he wasn't worse than half our other defensemen today. He shouldn't play 60-65 games but he will. That's my only gripe.

Wouldn't even mind him being the 7-8D next season and playing 30-35 games and a veteran presence for the playoffs if needed.

I know, our PK1 unit has been fantastic this year, best in the league. But because of that fact Engo will most likely never get rest this season until he pulls something or gets injured.

I don't think the improvement at 4C would have been the difference in winning these two games. They sit back and then quit.

Agreed, having Pebbles would have done nothing. Need to know how to hold a lead... Which, funny enough, is something a player of ours said we were good at and that we're hard to play against when we have the lead(and IIRC he said it between these two games). Can't remember who it was though.

I like what Stas had to say about the games:

 

[CupInSIX]

I don't think the improvement at 4C would have been the difference in winning these two games. They sit back and then quit.

But, yes. I think I would have preferred keeping Haula and Bellemare over Eakin. Even during the summer, not taking into account that Haula and Bellemare have had better starts than Eakin.

Carrier-Bellemare-Reaves were the most energetic, consistent line last year for about half the season and VGK fed off their energy.

It was a very important line for them last season.

 

[CupInSIX]

And it's time to put Glass back at C with Stone & Patches.

 

[Nevada Jones]

Whoever first said "hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard" could have been describing the VGKs so far for much of this season and the last. Really miss the original Golden Misfits from that first season, as they were rarely outworked and had less talent than the VGKs since. That's what made them so enjoyable to watch, for me anyway.

Kinda glad I missed most of this homestand and sorry I was around to watch the crap show collapse last night.

And the player postgame cliche interviews make me puke. Had to walk away from them last night. As the great philosopher Rihanna once sang just "Shut Up and Drive!"

Someone on this team needs to step up and open a can. Maybe they do need a captain. Maybe Turk is doing all he can. I know he rarely calls out the team publicly. We don't know what goes on in the room behind closed doors. He may prefer to keep his motivational tactics in-house. Who really knows?

And all the offseason BS about being motivated by how the season ended against the Sharks. So, where's that?

The Pacific may or may not be as weak as predicted, but, other than the two obvious teams, it's pretty even. Playoff spots may come down to the end of the season. And VGK pissing away points now, especially at home, could be the difference.

Okay, end of rant. I feel better...not!

 

[HanSolo]

And it's time to put Glass back at C with Stone & Patches.

Just put him at C anywhere. Do it on the fourth line if you have to, I'm sick of seeing him on the wing. On the powerplay I get it. But other than that...

 

[pbgoalie]

Interesting to watch from a distance so only see the Knights on the odd occasion

I got to see a lot of season one games, and the talent is far better now but the effort full ice does not seem the same.
The back pressure coming back on D the relentless forecheck just don’t seem the same, again in just a small group of games this year I’ve seen.
Maybe the league adjusting to more speed has done it, or the personnel while being talented aren’t able to sustain that pressure?

 

[Vegas07]

This team sucks in overtime. 4 overtime games, ZERO goals in overtime. Just 2 shootout wins and 2 overtime losses.

Seems like the team wants to go home early starting in the 3rd period.

14:49 minutes of OT this season, zero goals scored. That is surprising with the offense being better this year. Even the team last season had the ability to score in OT even though there were major struggles on the power play and the team needed a huge number of shots to score more than 2-3 goals.

 

[Vegas07]

^I think the regular season games are less meaningful for the players. In the first season, especially in the first 2-3 months, every win seemed like a big deal because the team was expected to be terrible with no chance at even coming close to making the playoffs. They were expected to finish last.

Then when Fleury came back from injury and the team was expected to at least make the playoffs that year, the results got worse (until the playoffs when the team had a lot of doubters again saying they couldn’t beat playoff teams).

Right now, it would be a big surprise if the team doesn’t make the playoffs. Also, the team struggled much of last season and still had a good shot at making a deep playoff run if it wasn’t for that 3rd period in game 7. That’s going to send a team the wrong message.

We also saw teams like Tampa, Calgary and Washington go out early in the playoffs and upsets are common in hockey. St. Louis was terrible at the start of the season and it didn’t matter in June.

Seems like our team is doing the minimum right now to get into the playoffs.

 

[GKG18]

Yeah, the sky is not falling, they got two out of four points, nothing to see here.

 

[Nevada Jones]

Unless I missed the sarcasm emoji...

Pissed away a point, in much the same way, in each of the last two home games against what should be inferior teams. Four points out of eight on the homestand. Fifty-percent on the road is fine, at home not so much.

Sky may not be falling, but the VGK play, especially of late, is concerning.

 

[Vegan Knight]

Vegas is in 4th or 5th in the Pacific almost 20% through the season. Something is wrong. We are a bubble playoff team. We haven't looked impressive on the whole for over a season.

We were 16th in the regular season and are about 13th-15th now. Are we just a mediocre team? Through 120% of regular season play, and a first round exit, it looks possible.

 

[Knightmare]

Ya, blowing 3-1 leads is a bit of an issue. It’s the same thing that happened in the Montreal game. It’s the same thing that happened in game 7.

 

[Super Cake]

The team certainly lost its identity from the first season.

It seems like they think they can just coast to a win.

Playoffs are still a possibility, but they need to get their act together.

 

[Vegan Knight]

Looking at that inaugural roster, the only places we've improved is the second line, mostly defensively but a bit more offense, and Glass on the third line.

The fourth line is the same, maybe slightly worse. The defense could be slightly worse. The goaltending and coaching is the same.

But that team was a bubble playoff team on paper who played together as greater than the sum of it's parts. This team hasn't done that. I'm not sure we are Cup contenders currently assembled, even if they iron some issues.

 

[IceNeophyte]

Looking at that inaugural roster, the only places we've improved is the second line, mostly defensively but a bit more offense, and Glass on the third line.

The fourth line is the same, maybe slightly worse. The defense could be slightly worse. The goaltending and coaching is the same.

But that team was a bubble playoff team on paper who played together as greater than the sum of it's parts. This team hasn't done that. I'm not sure we are Cup contenders currently assembled, even if they iron some issues.

I'm not sure we've improved defensively on the 2nd. Have we forgotten what a monster Perron is in puck possession?