GDT: Game 4: Vegas Golden Knights @ Washington Cupitals | 5:00PM | Revenge Edition

[hangman005]

It's over.....

We are going to get some bounces soon aren't we?

 

[Nevada Jones]

Well, I think the effort was there tonight. Not sure if we're just not playing well or we're regressing to the team we should have been last season. Of course, we are missing some keys players and will be for awhile. Not so much "next man up" so far this year. Afraid by the time we get Schmidt, Tuchsy and now Stastny back we will have dug a hole we can't get out of.

Curious to see if bad Malcolm or good Malcolm shows up tomorrow.

But, as always...Go! Knights! Go!

 

[CupInSIX]

Unbelievable. What a stupid time to pull the goalie.

Banish Carpenter and Lindberg to the AHL please.

 

[mundyc3]

It was a good game and the score doesn't show what the game was. Only thing that has me worried is special teams. On the penalty kill, Washington was able to go with the same positioning on each try. When you allow them to that, you are dead. Power play had so much issues just getting a shot off. Get pucks on yet. Worst case you have a faceoff. Looking for the perfect pass will kill you.

 

[CupInSIX]

On the plus side, the top line looked a lot better tonight. Marchessault and Wild Bill had about 4 golden* opportunities.

Marchissle Wild Bill Smitty
Patches Haula Hyka
Carrier Eakin Nosek
Quinney Bellemare Reaves

McNabb Theodore
Bischoff Engelland
Holden Miller

tomorrow please





*pun intended? I'm not telling.

 

[Vegan Knight]

I don't know about the Sabres game.... but Flowers not really been to fault.

I would say he needs to make more saves that keep us in the game like he did when we were down in this one.

Our defense has issues to start the season, there will be breakdowns but he is the highest paid player on the team last year and next year (second highest this year) face of the franchise. He is arguably THE leader in the locker room.

If he isn't making those game saving saves more often that he shouldn't make then we probably won't win many of these first twenty games and we shouldn't have given him 7M for three years starting next year.

To me, that's what that contract comes with in regard to expectations. And he has been a bit below that to start the year.

 

[lasvegascopper]

My overview of this season....and I have been watching and playing this game for 50 years.

Forwards...where is the puck pursuit that was so dominant last year. Our takeaways are non-existant. We controlled teams last year in their own zone by constantly being on the puck.

Defense...where are the short passes in our own end that got the puck to the neutral zone? That was why we were effective in having a five man rush up the ice as we controlled the play out of our zone.

Neutral Zone...no dominance. Not generating offence by rink wide and hail mary passes that we are seeing this year.

Second line...not on the same page as the team philosophy last year. Gallant has to let Patches and Stash know that there is a new game for them to learn and they better learn it soon if we want success.

Fleury...not making the big save. Can't expect him to stand on his head nightly but he has to make the timely save that allows the team to turn up the ice.

This is not the Golden Knights hockey from last year. Not sure how it has been lost since the majority of the players are returning.

I believe that unless they figure out how to get back to the controlled game they played last year this team will stink on this trip.

 

[hangman005]

It was a good game and the score doesn't show what the game was. Only thing that has me worried is special teams. On the penalty kill, Washington was able to go with the same positioning on each try. When you allow them to that, you are dead. Power play had so much issues just getting a shot off. Get pucks on yet. Worst case you have a faceoff. Looking for the perfect pass will kill you.

The PK wasn't bad as such, I think most teams it would have done the trick, but against Washington it's been awful and it looked like we learned precisely zero from the Finals, because the seem to be scoring on the exact same plays time and time again.

The last 30 seconds of the last PP was the first sign of life I have seen from the PP so far this season. We need wins on this road trip, failing that we need to at least take the next two games kicking and screaming to OT. We need to stop digging ourselves into a hole, especially seeing as I believe we will spend most of the next years being a game or two up on our rivals.

 

[lasvegascopper]

this team is giving up 5 goals a game regularly...this isn't only bad posts and missed PP. Until they start figuring out how to play in their own end again they are going to be in a bad spot quickly. They leave this road trip at 1-5 they will have created a big hole early to get out of.

 

[CupInSIX]

I'm not that mad because I'm just not that surprised. Miller isn't ready to be on a top pairing. Engelland shouldn't be in the top 4. Schmidt was just that damn good.

 

[lasvegascopper]

Schmidt was great. The problem is the forwards do not have the same puck pursuit they did last year which covered the weakness of the defence. It's not Engelland's fault that the team is allowing the opposition to skate out of their zone untouched.

 

[Vegan Knight]

I'm not that mad because I'm just not that surprised. Miller isn't ready to be on a top pairing. Engelland shouldn't be in the top 4. Schmidt was just that damn good.

I really think the team could pull the trigger on a fourth rounder or even whatever of our 3 3rds we think might be lowest on bringing in Coburn or McQuaid for this season only.

 

[mundyc3]

Really think Engelland should be bottom pair or 7th. Merrill needs to get out. Need someone capable with Holden

 

[Boris Zubov]

This is not the Golden Knights hockey from last year. Not sure how it has been lost since the majority of the players are returning.

It's way too early for a season analysis, but I will address this point specifically. Anyone expecting this team to march to the Finals again is going to be severely disappointed. There is just no way to sustain that high level of play after a short NHL summer off & a bunch of new faces.

The defense last year was held together by the forwards being extremely diligent in both ends of the rink. They haven't been good enough this year plus the D is a lot worse. The Caps drew up the blueprint in the SCF on exposing our flaws. Other teams had all off season to copy that plan. I said it in June, after game 1 Trotz completely outclassed Gallant. Turk made zero tweaks to the game plan. It killed us in that series, & now we have a really, really weak D playing the same system, but they aren't good enough to execute it.

Following up on what Mordred said above...Engellend played over his head for most of last season, but was exposed badly in the Finals. He's realistically a 5/6D at this stage of his career. Miller is a 2nd pair D, not a 1st pair. We obviously miss Nate, but him alone coming back in 15 games, doesn't cure all our warts.

Holden & Merrill are an AHL pairing, period. I was banging the table in the offseason for McPhee to add 2 quality defensemen to this team. This is what it looks like when 3 of your 6D are below average or belong in the AHL.

 

[Boris Zubov]

Really think Engelland should be bottom pair or 7th. Merrill needs to get out. Need someone capable with Holden

Holden isn't capable himself. I tried warning everyone, but he's just brutal.

 

[Puckstop40]

I was afraid of this happpening this year. Schmidt, Stan, and Tuch our is a lot of depth missing. I agree with what another poster said in that the Knights defensively are not good right now and attack on the puck is just not there right now. We have to try and finish the road trip with a few good games.

 

[Puckstop40]

Holden isn't capable himself. I tried warning everyone, but he's just brutal.

Yeah Holden is awful. I have no idea how he still in the NHL. Him and Nate Guenin caused misery to us as Avalanche fans.

 

[mundyc3]

Holden isn't capable himself. I tried warning everyone, but he's just brutal.

This is true but he is our third worst defensive starter. I think he should be with Colin Miller that will make him look less... like himself.

 

[CupInSIX]

I really think the team could pull the trigger on a fourth rounder or even whatever of our 3 3rds we think might be lowest on bringing in Coburn or McQuaid for this season only.

For 15 games? I'd rather just ride it out and play Bish, and call up Whitecloud and Brannstrom.

Theodore and Miller aren't playing well enough that adding one guy will fix things.

 

[ChanceVegas]

The forwards need to help the D more. Reality is we just don't have the horses on D and never really did. The forwards were the key to us winning last season. I really don't think teams have exposed a weakness as much as our forwards are playing much weaker on defense.

And I do think Fleury is making timely saves in almost all of these games, but the rest of the team is not capitalizing on them. When we spend almost the whole game in our own D zone and don't play D, this is what happens and would happen to any goalie.

 

[Aurinko]

The forwards need to help the D more. Reality is we just don't have the horses on D and never really did. The forwards were the key to us winning last season. I really don't think teams have exposed a weakness as much as our forwards are playing much weaker on defense.

And I do think Fleury is making timely saves in almost all of these games, but the rest of the team is not capitalizing on them. When we spend almost the whole game in our own D zone and don't play D, this is what happens and would happen to any goalie.

The defense managed very well last season, they were the biggest surprise to me last year.

Currently we can't get out of the D-zone and the D looks confused. The team definitely has the heart to play hard, that I admire, but I wouldn't mind a bit more finesse and determination in the plays.

 

[Igright]

If Washington hadn't had Kuznetsov, the result could have been the opposite.

 

[Vegan Knight]

For 15 games? I'd rather just ride it out and play Bish, and call up Whitecloud and Brannstrom.

Theodore and Miller aren't playing well enough that adding one guy will fix things.

15 games is close to twenty percent of the season, though.

We could easily find ourselves so far out of a playoff spot that we're chasing that by the time Schmidt comes back and most teams don't crawl out of early holes. Especially if Schmidt has even a few games of rust coming back.

I remember I didn't like the Reaves contract and people said we have the money and it isn't a problem if the player is helpful. We have the money this season and a few extra 3rds and Coburn or McQuaid would be useful even when Schmidt is back.

 

[Boris Zubov]

If Washington hadn't had Kuznetsov, the result could have been the opposite.

Yeah & if the queen had balls....

 

[Nevada Jones]

Yeah & if the queen had balls....

My late, great father's favorite expression!

Thanks for that.