Through a pair of games of the preseason, the Vegas Golden Knights have already been put to the test. With five games remaining before the season opener against the Seattle Kraken on October 12, the Golden Knights are looking to strategize their opening night roster.
9/26 vs. San Jose Sharks
No matter the time of year, the Golden Knights are never happy to lose to the Sharks. Fortunately for the team, this loss won’t affect the standings standings.
A 4-2 loss in the first game of the preseason is not the worst of results, and the game itself didn’t raise many red flags for what’s to come. As the first game back and with a mixed roster of NHL veterans and prospects, this team could not have been overly expected to dominate right out of the gate.
Similar to watching a juniors game, anything could have happened between these two teams. The outcome was not ideal for Vegas, but the game served its purpose to evaluate players and see what is working.
9/28 vs. Colorado Avalanche
In a fun tilt between two of the teams expected to sit atop the standings at the end of this season, the Golden Knights pulled off an exciting preseason win. While they took seven penalties throughout the game, the VGK penalty kill seems to have continued to impress, not allowing the Avalanche to score on any of their chances.
Meanwhile, the Golden Knights scored two powerplay goals of their own on four chances. There may be hope for a more successful powerplay this season. Although it is still very early, it’s nice to see hope of improvement.
Who Stood Out
Nolan Patrick – Finally signing his contract, on his birthday nonetheless, Patrick has been showing why the Golden Knights wanted him on the team. He has come to Vegas with the full mindset of a “Golden Misfit” and is using the chance he has been given here to prove what he can do. Fans can look forward to a healthy Nolan Patrick absolutely taking advantage of this new opportunity.
Nic Hague – The term “Haguerbomb” has been floating around Golden Knights Twitter for a long time, but it may just be time to get used to posting it on the regular. The organization has been high on Hague since drafting him in 2017 and it seems he may be coming into his own. Fans can look forward to him having a possible breakout season on the VGK blue line.
The Other Side of Things
Peyton Krebs – After having a great showing at camp, Krebs has not shown himself to look as steadfast at this point. To his credit, there have only been two games played so far, so he has plenty of time to bounce back and has every ability to do so. Unfortunately, he already seems to be a bit of a longshot to make the opening night roster and he is an easy guy to send down to Henderson in order to free up just a bit of cap space.
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