The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the New York Rangers 4-1 Monday night, getting their first three-game win streak of the season.
Game Recap
Alex Tuch started the scoring at just 1:34 into the first period. He took a shot at Lundqvist, who was just able to tip it, but the puck landed near the goal line and he subsequently knocked it in with his pads as he tried to save it.
Tuch then scored his second goal of the night just over 2 minutes later, thanks to a beautiful pass from Nate Schmidt.
The second period brought on two more goals from Reilly Smith and Max Pacioretty, respectively. Smith was playing against his older brother Brendan this game, so getting a goal himself was, I’m sure, icing on the cake for this win.
Brendan Lemieux scored the only goal for the Rangers with just three minutes left in the second period.
In the third period, the Golden Knights were able to show why they’re one of the best penalty killing teams in the league. In this period alone, the Knights killed off four penalties, keeping the score to 4-1 as the game ended.
Positive Changes
*Since the Golden Knights changed their defensive strategy a few games ago, things have been looking up. They’ve won three in a row, the defense isn’t scrambling like they used to in their own end, and Malcolm Subban is finally receiving the support he needs in front of the net.
*Cody Glass is back at center and is back to performing well. Playing on the wing wasn’t working out well for him OR the third line. Glass is a small player and was having a hard time maintaining possession when absorbing checks from the bigger players around the league. Now that he’s in the center, he can let big players like Tuch and William Carrier take those hits, and he can focus on making plays.
I really like Cody (Glass) in the middle.
Alex Tuch
*On that note, the new third line of Carrier, Glass, and Tuch is really working. In fact, this is the first game that this line has performed well all season! With Cody Eakin out with an upper body injury, this will be a good test run to see if this line can put up points night after night. I personally love this new line, and the entire lineup shown tonight.
Looking Forward
The Vegas Golden Knights will continue their road trip Tuesday night with a game against the New Jersey Devils. Game starts at 4pm PT. December has been a good month for the Knights in the past, so they’re hoping to continue this trend.
Don’t forget about the official watch party at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill on 3475 S Las Vegas Blvd.
AND remember to mark your calendars for the Silent Knight Festival and Vendor Fair this Saturday! Details on our Facebook page, or in our Events section.
