The Vegas Golden Knights were unable to get anything past Alexander Georgiev and the Colorado Avalanche, losing 3-0 and picking up their seventh loss in their last ten games. They now sit six points back of the Vancouver Canucks for the top spot in the Pacific Division with a record of 23-13-5. Valeri Nichushkin led the way for the Avalanche with two goals and Georgiev stopped all 25 shots he faced, picking up his second shutout of the season.
The Avalanche have won six of their last seven games and are now one point behind the Winnipeg Jets for first place in the Central Division. Nathan MacKinnon has unsurprisingly been the MVP for their team this season and tied Nikita Kucherov for the league lead in points (67) after recording an assist in this game. He’s been producing offense at an incredibly high rate as of late, putting up 38 points in his last 20 games.
Injuries Everywhere
Both teams entered this game with a number of injuries to some key players. On top of Shea Theodore being out, William Karlsson, William Carrier, Michael Amadio, Ben Hutton, Adin Hill and Logan Thompson were all out with injuries. Hill was set to make his long-awaited return since sustaining an undisclosed injury against the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 17, but was scratched just minutes before puck drop. Jiri Patera drew into the lineup for his fifth start of the season.
Related: Golden Knights’ Injury Update: Hill, Karlsson, Carrier, Theodore
As for the Avalanche, they were without a couple of bottom-six wingers in Artturi Lehkonen and Miles Wood, along with Bowen Byram and Josh Manson on defense. As a result of these injuries, the Golden Knights also brought in Gregory Denisenko, Pavel Dorofeyev and Lukas Cormier to suit up for this game. Denisenko and Dorofeyev have a combined 68 NHL games played, and this was Cormier’s second career NHL game. The lack of experience coming into this game was a huge reason why the Golden Knights were unable to rebound from the Avalanche’s relentless pressure.
Regardless of the result, Jiri Patera has had some decent outings for the Golden Knights this season, and this was another one. He made 32 saves and was the reason this game didn’t get out of hand. In his five games played this season he’s put together a .901 save percentage (SV%) and has a 3.75 goals-against average (GAA). You aren’t always going to get solid performances from third-string goaltenders, and unfortunately, the Golden Knights couldn’t take advantage of it.
Golden Knights Outpaced by Avalanche
As we reach the halfway point of the NHL season, games like this can allow the Golden Knights to measure where their level of play is at in comparison to the best teams in the league. While they weren’t playing with their ideal roster, it was clear that there is a gap in speed and urgency that separate the Golden Knights from other Stanley Cup contenders.
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The Avalanche play with a level of determination that can tire out opponents and leave them helpless in their own zone. Everything goes towards the net, and they rarely make more than two passes before firing a shot on goal. Last night they outshot the Golden Knights 35-25, and had a total of 285 shot attempts (CF/SAT) at five-on-five compared to the Golden Knights’ 215. With a shorthanded roster and a third-string goaltender, that shot volume is extremely difficult to defend.
According to the NHL’s newly introduced player tracking database, NHL Edge, MacKinnon has had 363 bursts of speed over 20-plus mph this season. Not only does he lead the league in this category, but the next closest player is Brayden Point, who has 254. It’s no secret that when you have a player of that caliber on your team, the speed of the entire team increases as a result, and the Avalanche are at the top of the league when it comes to their pace of play.
The Golden Knights’ identity has never been centred around speed. They’re a well-structured team that when at their best can grind you down with all four lines and keep opposing offenses away from their net.
Final Thoughts
For a team that is going through their toughest stretch of the season, the last thing that the Golden Knights need are more injuries. It’s become a trend every season that they haven’t been able to avoid, and the best that they can hope for is that everyone is healthy for the playoffs. However, with the level of competitiveness that the Pacific Division currently has, playoffs shouldn’t be considered a guarantee.
The Golden Knights’ schedule is only going to get tougher, as they head home to take on the Boston Bruins for the second half of a back-to-back tonight. The Bruins have a 24-8-8 record and are the top team in the Atlantic Division. While the Bruins haven’t been playing their best as of late, losing three of their last four games, the Golden Knights have historically struggled against them, losing seven of their last nine matchups.
