Monthly Archives: October 2017
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 16, 2017
Vegas become 1st franchise in 91 years to win 4 of first 5 NHL games
With each win, the Vegas Golden Knights keep making history.
The Knights became the third team in NHL history to record four wins in the first five games of their inaugural season, according to NHL Public Relations. The only other franchises to do so were the 1917-18 Montreal Canadiens and the 1926-27 New York Rangers.
Though a road tilt with Dallas to begin the season was certainly a challenge right out of the gate, Vegas' matchup against the Bruins on Sunday night represented its first meeting with a 2016-17 playoff team.
The Golden Knights controlled the better part of the game, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the second period and never looking back, winning 3-1 and outshooting the Corsi-darling Bruins 26-22.
They could very well be favored to win their next matchup (against the Sabres), but the Golden Knights will then face the Blues and Blackhawks - legitimate tests for the early-season Cinderella.
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3 unsung heroes from Vegas’ 4-1 start
The Vegas Golden Knights' scorching-hot start is the most surprising storyline of the NHL season thus far. And while Marc-Andre Fleury and James Neal have deservedly drawn most of the attention, the following three players have been integral to the team's 4-1 record.
Nate Schmidt
Even with Neal's six goals, Schmidt has arguably been the Golden Knights' most complete player. Going from being the sixth/seventh defenseman in Washington to the No. 1 in Vegas has brought out the best in the smooth-skating blue-liner.
Heading into the Golden Knights' tilt with the Bruins, Schmidt led all Vegas players in ice time, and then went on to play a team-high 22:39 in their 3-1 victory Sunday night.
In five games, Schmidt has one goal, two assists, a plus-2 rating, nine shots, 11 blocked shots, three takeaways, and just one giveaway.
Luca Sbisa
While Schmidt has been sensational, so has his defense partner, Sbisa. The former first-round pick has played nearly 500 NHL games, but seems to finally be coming into his own now at 27 years old.
Sbisa ranks second on the Knights in ice time and has collected three points with a plus-2 rating. While Schmidt is the more offensive player, Sbisa has brought a physical presence, dishing out a team-high 13 hits.
As a duo, Schmidt and Sbisa had the 18th-best Corsi For percentage and the sixth-best penalty differential (at five-on-five) among all NHL defense pairings heading into Sunday night, per Corsica.
David Perron
While Neal has been scoring all of Vegas' goals, his linemate Perron has been setting him up; the latter has three assists, with two of them being primary helpers, per Natural Stat Trick.
Here's a look at some of Perron's handiwork:
Vegas' knight in shining armor, @jneal_18, does it again. #NHLFaceOff pic.twitter.com/3A8BOjRZUM
— NHL (@NHL) October 8, 2017
The pass below might be his best of the season.
While Perron has been quite the dishmaster thus far, he's also third on the team in shots, meaning goals could be just around the corner.
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Subban exacts revenge as Golden Knights down Bruins
LAS VEGAS (AP) Alex Tuch and Vadim Shipachyov made the most of their debuts with the Vegas Golden Knights, as they each scored a goal in a 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Sunday.
It was just the seventh career game for Tuch, who played in six games with Minnesota last season, while Shipachyov was making his NHL debut. Both players were recalled from Chicago of the AHL to fill roster spots for the suddenly banged-up Golden Knights.
Also making his Vegas debut was goalie Malcolm Subban, who stopped 21 shots for the win against his former team.
Subban, claimed off waivers Oct. 3 from the Bruins, got the nod when No. 1 goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was placed on injured reserve earlier in the day.
Subban had started only two NHL games, both for Boston. He spent most of his time in Providence, where he played in 127 minor league games over four seasons. His best year statistically was during the 2014-15 season, when he finished with a .921 save percentage. In his only two previous NHL starts, Subban had a .727 save percentage for the Bruins.
Tuch, who had four goals and an assist in three AHL games, poked the puck away from Sean Kuraly, skated past Kevan Miller and beat Boston goalie Tuukka Rask with a shot in the upper left corner to give the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead with 5:21 left in the second period. It was Tuch's first NHL goal.
Three minutes later, after Rask stopped Tuch's attempt and fell on his back with traffic around the net, Shipachyov slid the puck past the scrum in front to make it 2-0 with 2:14 left in the period.
Rask made 25 saves for the Bruins. With their goalie pulled for an extra skater, David Pastrnak scored Boston's goal with 30 seconds left.
Golden Knights center Oscar Lindberg added an empty-net goal with 14 seconds remaining.
The Bruins, who completed their first of 14 sets of back-to-back games after winning 6-2 in Arizona on Friday, were 4-8-2 in the second game of back-to-backs last season.
Boston now returns home for a four-game homestand after completing a 1-2 road trip.
NOTES: After playing only four games in its inaugural season, the dinged-up Golden Knights also placed forward Erik Haula on injured reserve on Saturday. In addition to Tuch and Shipachyov, goalie Maxime Lagace was recalled from Chicago to fill the roster spots. ... The Golden Knights continued to struggle with power-play opportunities, failing on four attempts in the game. They are 1 for 21 this season on the power play. ... Three Bruins will celebrate milestones in their next game, with Patrice Bergeron approaching his 900th game played, Rask set to play the 400th of his career, and Tim Schaller one short of 100 in his career. ... Boston center Ryan Spooner left in the third period and did not return.
UP NEXT
Bruins: Off until Thursday, when they host Vancouver.
Golden Knights: Host the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.
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More AP hockey: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey
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Malcolm Subban to make 1st Golden Knights start vs. Bruins
Malcolm Subban will have a chance to stick it to his former team when he starts in goal Sunday night versus the Boston Bruins, head coach Gerard Gallant confirmed.
Subban was waived by the Bruins Oct. 3 and was subsequently claimed by the Golden Knights. Due to Marc-Andre Fleury's concussion diagnosis, the 23-year-old has been thrust into starting duties in Vegas.
Since being drafted 24th overall in 2012, Subban has only made two NHL starts, both of which were losses. That said, he showed signs of promise by posting a .917 save percentage in 32 AHL games last season.
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Who are the Golden Knights’ options in net without Fleury?
The Vegas honeymoon may be over.
After going 3-1-0 to begin their inaugural season, the Golden Knights announced starting goalie and face of the franchise Marc-Andre Fleury has been placed on injured reserve with a concussion.
The timetable is murky for this type of injury, but we know Fleury will be out at least a week, meaning he'll miss a minimum of three games.
General manager George McPhee appeared to have a contingency plan in place after selecting a fairly proven commodity in Calvin Pickard from Colorado at the expansion draft, but after trading the apparent backup to the Maple Leafs, head coach Gerard Gallant is left to choose between a goalie with two games of NHL experience, and another with none.
So who exactly are Vegas' goalies with Fleury out of the lineup?
1. Malcolm Subban
Prior to the start of the regular season, McPhee nabbed Subban off waivers from Boston and subsequently sent Pickard packing to Toronto, thereby installing the former as Fleury's understudy.
Drafted 24th overall in 2012, Subban spent the majority of his pro career with the AHL's Providence Bruins, for whom he posted a 56-45-14 record with a .918 save percentage.
His two starts for the Bruins were the stuff of goalie nightmares:
| Date | Opponent | Shots Against | Goals Allowed | Save % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/20/2015 | St. Louis | 6 | 3 | .500 |
| 10/25/2016 | Minnesota | 16 | 3 | .813 |
Now he finds himself thrust into the starting role for an expansion team, and will likely play his first game for the Golden Knights on Sunday against his old club.
No pressure.
Maxime Lagace
Ready to answer the call should Subban falter, Lagace is an undrafted netminder who was signed to a one-year, $650,000 contract by Vegas on July 1.
Lagace began his pro career in the Dallas Stars' organization, recording a .907 save percentage in 69 games over three seasons with AHL Texas. In two games with the Chicago Wolves to start 2017-18, however, he managed only a .873 save percentage.
All this after an underwhelming junior career resulted in Lagace getting passed by in the entry draft process, pointing to a certain unreadiness for the NHL level.
Should all of the above fail, 2012 second-round pick Oscar Dansk can be called up from the AHL in the event Fleury is out long term.
The Golden Knights have been a success story so far this season, but the loss of Fleury could quickly derail Vegas' winning ways.
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NHL Random Thoughts – Way Too Early in the Season Edition
Golden Knights’ Fleury out with concussion
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has been placed on injured reserve with a concussion, the team announced Sunday.
Fleury took a bump to the head during Friday's loss to Detroit, but remained in goal for the duration of the game.
Here's the moment of impact on the Fleury knee to the head last night. pic.twitter.com/Tf49ixVqw3
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) October 14, 2017
He did not practice Saturday, and there's no timetable for his return. Fleury previously suffered a concussion in 2016, forcing him to miss the final month of the season and most of the playoffs.
Malcolm Subban stands to start Sunday against his old team from Boston, while Maxim Lagace has been recalled from the AHL.
Vegas concurrently announced Jonathan Marchessault has been placed on IR with a lower-body injury, prompting a recall of Alex Tuch.
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Report: Canadiens place Streit on unconditional waivers to terminate contract
Mark Streit's brief reunion with the Montreal Canadiens is coming to an end.
The club has reportedly placed the veteran defenseman on waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Streit was signed to a one-year contract on July 25, bringing him back to the team that drafted him in 2004.
Mark Streit will receive $45,161 for his 12 days of service while he was on the Active Roster for the #Habs.
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) October 15, 2017
In two games this season, Streit was held without a point. Once this transaction is complete, he'll be free to sign with another team around the NHL or overseas.
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