Close Menu
NHL

The Knightly Recap: Week 8 Part 2

Andre ParaisoBy Updated:6 Mins Read

Welcome to part two of this week’s Knightly Recap! Click here to read or re-read part one of the Knightly Recap. We continue with the Golden Knights’ first back-to-back games this season against the San Jose Sharks on the road. Also, there’s a few other news pieces regarding the Golden Knights main roster players. Let’s continue on with week eight of the Knightly Recap.

March 5 at San Jose Sharks

Outshot Again? Not a Problem.

The Golden Knights knew that these next two games would be a back-to-back against the same team. So these two points were even more crucial to maintain their top position in the Honda West Division. 

By the end of this game, the Sharks outshot the Golden Knights by a narrow 29-27 shots on goal. But that didn’t deter the Golden Knights from scoring goals in this highly, yet unexpectedly contested game. The Golden Knights scored two goals out of their six shots during the first period. The goals came from Stepheson and forward Reilly Smith.

Ryan Reaves Takes on Another Shark

Golden Knights forward Ryan Reaves and Sharks forward Rudolfs Balcers were seen talking to each other during warmups before the game. And it’s safe to say that both players were bad mouthing one another. With just two seconds into the third period, both players dropped their gloves and got into a fight. Reaves has fought with a Sharks player already this season which was against forward Evander Kane.

A Goal Pattern Formed in the Second and Third Periods

Looking back at the box score, there was a pattern that developed in this game. In the second period, the Golden Knights scored a goal followed by two goals from the Sharks. Pacioretty scored 2:57 into the period and Sharks players Brent Burns and Matt Nieto scored during the halfway mark. In the third period, Tuch scored 26 seconds into the period followed by Sharks players Logan Couture and Kevin Labanc scoring halfway and late in the game.

An Unusually, Unexpected Close Game For the Golden Knights

This game wasn’t expected to be as close as it was. But the Sharks have shown outings of making games close heading into this matchup. And because of that, the Sharks were able to send this game to overtime after Golden Knights goaltender Oscar Dansk misplayed a loose puck. Labanc took advantage of the mishap and tied the game at four with 2:07 left in the third period.

Working Overtime Again

The Golden Knights go into another overtime period for the second time in three games. But their track record in overtime games this season is great. They had previously beat the Wild in a come from behind overtime win. Also, they have two other overtime victories against the Ducks from earlier this season. 

And only one Golden Knight player has scored the game winning goal in all four of their overtime victories except for one. That player being Pacioretty who would, once again, score five hole to score the game winning goal.

March 6 at San Jose Sharks

Complete Domination From Start to Finish

There really isn’t much to analyze from this game to be honest. The Golden Knights practically dominated the Sharks in almost every stat category except hits and giveaways. The Sharks dealt out 35 hits and tied the Golden Knights with four giveaways. Other than that, the Golden Knights pretty much controlled the pace of this game from start to finish. The only times the Sharks had momentum during this game was the last five minutes of the first and third periods.

Tuch is Tuching in Goals Like Never Before

Tuch has been on a scoring tear since the Lake Tahoe game and this may help the Golden Knights as the season goes along The 24-year-old forward has scored nine goals in the last seven games giving him 12 total goals so far this season. He’s tied with Pacioretty with the most goals on the team. Also, Tuch has had three two-goal games during this time span. If he can keep up his goal scoring performance, then the Golden Knights may have just found another prime goal scorer other than Pacioretty. This will be exciting to watch and see what happens moving forward.

Fleury Is Still a Doughnut King

At the end of the game, Fleury recorded his league leading fourth shutout of the season and his 65th career shutout. Also, Fleury surpasses Patrick Roy on the all time shutout list in NHL history. Fleury continues to show why he’s considered a Vezina favorite this season after allowing five goals in four games. With Dansk starting at goaltender the game before, it allowed Fleury to finally recuperate himself after starting 10 consecutive games.

Fleury found himself in this situation due to the injury of fellow Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner.

Other VGK News

Return of Tomas Nosek

Golden Knights forward Tomas Nosek made an appearance in this game for the first time since his COVID-19 positive test that sat him out for a few games. Nosek left during the second intermission against the Anaheim Ducks on Feb. 9. Also, he stayed out of the lineup for the birth of his second son, Matias.

Return of Brayden McNabb? Hopefully Sooner Than Later.

During the Golden Knights’ morning skate before their game against the Sharks, Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb was seen on the ice for the first time since he was placed on long-term injury reserve. McNabb was placed on LTIR after sustaining a lower body injury against the St. Louis Blues on Jan. 26. The team hopes to have McNabb during their four game road trip next week.

When Is the Panda Coming Back?

On March 6, Golden Knights head coach, Pete DeBoer, said, “I think there’s talk about [Lehner] being very close to reintegrating in with the group.” Lehner was placed on LTIR on Feb. 11 after sustaining an upper body injury against the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 7. He has yet to be seen skating on the ice nor did he travel with the team for the two games against the Sharks.

Up Next on the Knightly Recap

The Golden Knights will still be on the road as they face off the Wild in Minnesota and Blues in St. Louis for another set of back-to-back games. The team racked up eight huge points this week as they continue to be the top team in the division. These next set of games are just as important than last week’s set of games for the Golden Knights if they want to continue this winning streak. Until then, stay tuned for the next Knightly Recap.

Leave A Reply