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The Knightly Recap: Week 17

Andre ParaisoBy Updated:9 Mins Read

Last week on the Knightly Recap, the Vegas Golden Knights faced off against a division rival titan in the Colorado Avalanche at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. They also finished off their season series against the Arizona Coyotes in a back-to-back set of games.

This week on the Knightly Recap, the Golden Knights finish off their season series against the Minnesota Wild on the road as well as the St. Louis Blues in another set of back-to-back games at home.

The Golden Knights have six games left in their 2020-21 season including these four games that will be talked about in this week’s edition of the Knightly Recap. With that said, welcome to week 17 of the Knightly Recap.

May 3 at Minnesota Wild

From Prospect to NHL Player

Golden Knights prospect Peyton Krebs made his NHL debut in this game. Krebs was selected during the 2019 NHL Draft as the 19th overall pick in the first round. Also, Krebs was a part of the team when they went to Edmonton for the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Before playing in this game, Krebs played for Team Canada for the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton in which he won a silver medal. 

Krebs also played for the Golden Knights’ AHL team, Henderson Silver Knights and recorded five points (1 goal, 4 assists). He was waiting on when the Western Hockey League (WHL) started again as he’s a part of the Winnipeg Ice.

During the shortened WHL 24 game season, Krebs led the league in points and assists (43 points; 13 goals, 30 assists).

Vegas is Going to Wi…! Oh No.

One team the Golden Knights struggle to beat in the NHL is the Wild whether they’re at home or on the road. However, this game turned out to be different even though Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek scored the game’s first goal. 

The Golden Knights pushed back with two goals of their own during the first period from defensemen Shea Theodore and Alec Martinez.

Overall, the game was fairly close throughout with the biggest lead belonging to the Golden Knights with two goals. There were many momentum swings as the game went on but the biggest moments came in the third period scoring three straight goals in the final eight minutes of the game.

Wild Two Minutes in Minnesota

With under three minutes left in the game, Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov tied the game at five after scoring off a rebound just above the blue crease. 26 seconds later, Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin shot a slapshot from just below the blue line to take the lead 6-5.

The last two goals of the game happened so quickly that the Golden Knights didn’t seem to find a way to recuperate and tie the game in the final minute of the game. They had their chances but Wild goaltender Cam Talbot held his ground and made a couple crucial saves.

Final score: 6-5 MIN

Goal scorers: MIN – Joel Eriksson Ek (4:29 1st Period), Nick Bonino (7:48 1st Period, 8:44 2nd Period), Kevin Fiala (10:49 3rd Period), Kirill Kaprizov (18:28 3rd Period), Jonas Brodin (18:54 3rd Period)

VGK – Shea Theodore (4:29 1st Period), Alec Martinez (6:05 1st Period), Alex Tuch (12:20 1st Period), Mark Stone (6:48 2nd Period), Jonathan Marchessault (16:04 2nd Period)

May 5 at Minnesota Wild

Another High Scoring Game? No.

Unlike the last game, this wasn’t as intense offensive wise as the goals didn’t come as early as they did. However, this game’s tone was a lot different than the last. Both teams played rough, physical defense just like how the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals had six fights in under five minutes during the first period.

There were so many penalties during the first period of this game that both teams equaled the same amount of penalty minutes by the end of the game. Both teams committed 12 combined penalties in just that period alone. Talk about old school hockey. Even Kaprizov gave Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud a single leg takedown at one point during the first period.

Kirill the Thrill At It Again

Just when it looked like the Golden Knights were going to get a win, the Wild made another comeback taking the lead in the third period after being down one goal. And who else than Kaprizov to find a way to lead this team back into the game. Kaprizov scored the Wild’s only two goals of the game in just under a two minute span.

These Knightly Recaps are supposed to be mostly about the Vegas Golden Knights. But how could you not praise the play of Kaprizov? He’s a favorite to win the Calder Trophy this season and leads the team in goals. Let’s give credit where credit is due.

Another Comeback. Different Result.

Although the Wild were able to make another comeback two games in a row, Golden Knights forward Reilly Smith tied the game at the 15:44 mark during the third period. The Golden Knights were able to use Smith’s goal as a momentum push to gain at least one point from this game and go to overtime.

The Overtime Kings Are At It Again!

If there’s one thing the Golden Knights are perfect at this season, it’s winning overtime games. The Golden Knights are 7-0 in overtime this season and this game improved that record to 8-0. Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo scored the overtime game winning goal after he missed on his first opportunity to close out the game.

Golden Knights forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Alex Tuch were credited with the assists with Tuch getting the primary assist.

Fleury Continuing To Do G.O.A.T Things

With this win, Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is now in sole possession of third place in the all time wins list in NHL history. Fleury gained his 490th career win surpassing NHL legend Roberto Luongo who has 489 career wins.

Also, the top three goaltenders in this list are all French-Candadien from the Canadien province of Quebec. Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy are above Fleury with 661 and 551 wins respectively.

Final score: 3-2 VGK (OT)

Goal scorers: MIN – Kirill Kaprizov (11:13 3rd Period, 13:23 3rd Period)

VGK – Chandler Stephenson (8:30 2nd Period), Reilly Smith (15:44 3rd Period), Alex Pietrangelo (1:53 OT)

May 7 vs. St. Louis Blues

Another Come From Behind Win Against St. Louis

In seasons past, the Golden Knights and Blues have had some really great matches which resulted in extra time needed to be played. This game was no different. Though Smith scored the game’s first goal, Blues forward Ryan O’Reilly got his team fired up as he scored a short handed goal with just under two minutes left in the first period.

The Blues continued to take control of the game scoring two more goals during the second period from forwards David Perron and Jaden Schwartz. However, the Golden Knights wouldn’t go down without a fight as Martinez cut the Blues’ lead down to one before the end of the second period.

Just like how the Blues controlled the second period, the Golden Knights were able to control a good part of the third period with forward Nicolas Roy scoring in the third period to tie the game at three.

Another Comeback. Same Result.

For the second game in a row, the Golden Knights play another overtime game. And this overtime period is by far the Golden Knights’ most exciting overtime this season.

Both teams had opportunistic scoring chances with the Blues having a couple breakaways. But the Golden Knights won, yet again, in overtime from Marchessault’s game winning goal with 17 seconds remaining.

Final score: 4-3 VGK (OT)

Goal scorers: STL – Ryan O’Reilly (18:08 1st Period), David Perron (14:34 2nd Period), Jaden Schwartz (16:18 2nd Period)

VGK – Reilly Smith (13:23 1st Period), Alec Martinez (19:50 2nd Period), Nicolas Roy (6:52 3rd Period), Jonathan Marchessault (4:42 OT)

May 8 vs. St. Louis Blues

Hats! Get Your Hats Reilly!

For the majority of this game, the Golden Knights absolutely dominated the Blues carrying all the momentum from the overtime win the night before. They carried so much momentum that Smith scored his first career hat trick scoring once in the first period and twice in the third.

Final score: 4-1 VGK

Goal scorers: STL – Colton Parayko (19:23 2nd Period)

VGK – Reilly Smith (12:26 1st Period, 4:11 3rd Period, 19:11 3rd Period), Chandler Stephenson (13:32 1st Period)

Up Next on the Knightly Recap

The Golden Knights are playing their final two games of the regular season. They’ll first face the Avalanche one more time for their final home game this regular season. That game will determine if the Golden Knights can clinch the Honda West Division or if the Avalanche can cut the division lead to two points. 

The Avalanche also have two more games after this game both against the Los Angeles Kings. It’s a big game for both teams with lots of scenarios at stake.

The Golden Knights will then finish their 2020-21 regular season against the San Jose Sharks on the road before heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

How will the Golden Knights fair out in their last two games of the regular season? Find out in the final Knightly Recap before the Golden Knights go into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Also, come back to the Knightly Recap for information about who the Golden Knights will play in the first round of the playoffs.

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