After a summer of drama for the Vegas Golden Knights, the 2024-25 has started off on the right foot. It started with a three-game homestand, all wins. Since then they’ve been on the road for two, with a third game that wraps up tomorrow night in Florida. So, what does their good start mean for the rest of the season?
2024-25 Vegas Golden Knights off to Strong Start at Home
Each game was filled with good vibes and, like a great casino buffet, something that could appeal to everyone. There was the dominant, high scoring game against a rival (an 8-4 win against the Colorado Avalanche). There was the good, solid game top to bottom that was capped by late drama for the Golden Knights (a 4-3 win against the St. Louis Blues). And finally, there was the tough grind against a hot goalie nearly stealing a game (a 3-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks). In short, to quote coach Bruce Cassidy from Friday night: “We were really dialed in and played winning hockey at the end.” Let’s take a look at the Golden Knights start so far this season.
Ivan Barbashev & Mark Stone are Really Good
The pair combined in the opening games for 12 points (five goals, seven assists), and a liveliness on the ice that was hard to find for a lot of last season. It’s very easy to get too excited over anything regarding a team’s opening week. Especially when, in the case of Stone, there’s a sizable injury resume to deal with. However, it’s hard not to look at goals like this…
Power play goal for Vegas!
Scored by Mark Stone with 11:31 remaining in the 3rd period.
Assisted by Jack Eichel and Shea Theodore.
Vegas: 6
Colorado: 4#COLvsVGK #VegasBorn #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/dWJKmHAaYt— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) October 10, 2024
Or this one…
Ivan Barbashev dances around Sam Girard and rips a wicked backhand for a beauty goal 😮💨🔥 pic.twitter.com/xm2XdfDW6X
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 10, 2024
And get the kind of giddy rush of joy and good vibes for, what could be, this season. Especially with Jack Eichel continuing his stellar play from the end of last season. Will that rush fade as the grind of the season settles in? Yeah, probably. But this is a time to bathe in those good vibes as long as humanly possible.
A Quiet Strength Building on the Blueline
On the other side of the ice, there wasn’t the same sense of immediate brightness for the Golden Knights. That tends to happen when a team scores 15 goals in the first three games. However, it was quite evident against St. Louis Friday and Anaheim Sunday night that the blueline is getting back to the same level of dominance that they had two seasons ago. It’s not a coincidence this is happening as Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo get off to really hot starts, along with Zach Whitecloud and Brayden McNabb
This coming week will prove a good test for the blueline. With the two games against the Washington Capitals Tuesday night and the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday night, it hasn’t started all that well. The top guns, Tom Wilson or Nikita Kucherov, have been able to thrive. Next up, the defending champion Florida Panthers tomorrow afternoon.
A Mixed Bag In Goal
An oft talked about subject during the summer, the Knights’ net wasn’t all that dominant. Nor did it need to be, given the scoring and the protective defensive structure that’s been steadily growing in strength. Adin Hill was good when he needed to be in those first couple of games. The goals he has allowed have come on shots that many goalies in the league would have trouble stopping. It’s not enough to predict where he’ll end up come April and May. But it’s certainly enough to feel good right here in October.
As for Ilya Samsonov on Sunday night, he played at the level one would hope from a backup. He was good, when the game called for him to be good. He didn’t completely fall apart after the Troy Terry goal at the 11:49 mark of the first period. Also, he was also quite lucky when he needed to be, like with the wide empty net miss by Ryan Strome in the third period. On the whole, it’s a performance to feel good on, and hope there’s something more on the table.
If the Golden Knights continue to get outstanding performances by their stars, they will continue to be a competitive team. Players like Jack Eichel, Alex Pietrangelo, and Adin Hill to play their best is a welcoming sign.
Main Photo: Jerome Miron – Imagn Images
