John Locher/AP
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone (61) celebrates after scoring against the Arizona Coyotes during the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Las Vegas.
Published Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021 | 3 p.m.
Updated Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021 | 9:31 p.m.
The Golden Knights have only had four seasons, but they are 4-0 for the first time.
Shea Theodore scored twice on Wednesday and Mark Stone took the NHL points lead as the Golden Knights defeated the Arizona Coyotes 5-2 on Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena.
The Golden Knights started 3-0 in the inaugural season, but have never won the first four games of the season.
They started well on Wednesday, but really put the exclamation point on the game in the third period following a penalty. While short-handed, Chandler Stephenson forced a hooking penalty from the Coyotes, setting things in motion.
That penalty not only negated the Arizona power play, but set up 41 seconds at 4-on-4 then a Golden Knights power play after that. They scored on both.
Letting Vegas’ skill players loose in open ice is almost unfair, as Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith and Shea Theodore connected on a perfect passing sequence that ended in Theodore’s second goal of the night. That made it 4-1.
After the 4-on-4 time expired, Vegas went to the power play. Alex Tuch showed off his wheels and blew past everyone, zooming down the right wing to make it 5-1 at 6:14 of the second.
Mark Stone assisted on Tuch’s goal, his fifth assist of the season. Throw in his second goal of the season in the second period and he had seven points on the year, tops in the NHL.
The Coyotes scored once more, a Phil Kessel deflection at 7:38. But by that point it was too late.
The Golden Knights scored the first three goals of the game, two in the first period and one in the second. Theodore scored on the Knights’ first shot, then Alex Pietrangelo followed it up with his first in a Vegas uniform shortly after.
The Coyotes answered Stone’s goal with one by Nick Schmaltz in the second period.
Marc-Andre Fleury started in net for the Golden Knights and made 19 saves in his second appearance of the season.
Vegas outshot the Coyotes 29-23.
Golden Knights, Coyotes trade goals in 2nd period
Trading goals isn’t a bad thing when you have the lead.
The Golden Knights briefly extended their lead to three goals, but then gave one up, holding their two-goal advantage over the Arizona Coyotes. Vegas led 3-1 after two periods at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday.
The Golden Knights started the period with a productive power play, though it didn’t end in a goal. They moved the puck around as well as they have all year and fired four shots on goal, but dropped to 0-for-9 to start the season. It became 0-for-10 later in the period.
The first penalty kill of the night was equally as impressive, not allowing a shot on goal and generating a strong scoring chance short-handed.
Once the special teams were done working, 5-on-5 took over, and Mark Stone added to his team-leading point total. It was a dominant shift by his line, keeping the puck low in the Arizona zone for almost all of it when Max Pacioretty saw Stone streaking to the net all alone.
Stone deked his way around the sprawling goalie Darcy Kuemper and tucked the puck inside the right post for his second goal and sixth point of the season at 10:39 of the period.
That made it 3-0, but the Coyotes got it back quickly. At the 11:52 mark, Nick Schmaltz fired a one-timer from the slot that beat Marc-Andre Fleury high for his second goal in two games against Vegas this week.
Overall it was a strong period for the Golden Knights, who extended their lead in shots on goal to 20-12 for the game.
Golden Knights score on first shot, lead Coyotes
Whether or not the Golden Knights achieved their aim of a fast start depends on your definition of fast.
They didn’t register a shot on goal until more than minutes into the game, but it was a goal, and Vegas led the Arizona Coyotes 2-0 after a period at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday.
Vegas also scored on its third shot of the game and it was another defenseman. The puck bounced off the corner and to the right point, where Alex Pietrangelo was waiting. He wound up and fired a missile to make it 2-0 at the 8:33 mark of the first.
Providing the screen on Pietrangelo’s shot was Keegan Kolesar, who turned in the best period of his young career. He assisted on the goal, and also screened Arizona goalie Darcy Kuemper on Theodore’s goal. He was also the first forward to have a shot on goal, and added one hit for good measure.
Alex Tuch assisted on both goals, as his line with Kolesar and Nicolas Roy was perhaps the Knights’ best in the first.
Vegas held Arizona to just two shots on goal since the Pietrangelo goal, and led in shots 9-5 for the period.
Golden Knights eyeing quick start against Coyotes
The Golden Knights will look to move to 4-0 on the season tonight. They’re also looking to improve.
Vegas has an undefeated start, despite not having played its best hockey. It’s taken until late in the game for the offense to arrive in the last two games, and at 7 p.m. today, the Golden Knights are looking for a hot start against the Arizona Coyotes at T-Mobile Arena.
“Especially early in the season, I’m sure a lot of teams are going through a lot of inconsistencies,” Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb said. “You’re not going to play a perfect game; things are going to happen. But the goal is to be consistent in your systems and what we do as a team and our identity. Yeah, it hasn’t been great in terms of putting together a full 60, but it’ll get better as time goes on.”
In Monday’s win over the Coyotes, it took more than 37 minutes for Vegas to score. On Saturday against Anaheim, the Knights didn’t score until the final 1:22 of regulation. Bringing the offense early will be key tonight against the Coyotes.
The starting lineup will play a role in setting the tone from the jump. Ryan Reaves and his fourth line started in Monday’s game, as they did throughout the postseason, in an effort by coach Pete DeBoer for them to drag the team into the game. Starting lineups aren’t announced until right before game time, but whoever hits the ice first will be asked for a quick start.
“If our line’s going to start, we’ve got to draw some energy,” Reaves said. “We can’t just be throwing pucks away, being in the ‘D’ zone and not doing anything. He starts us for a reason, and if we’re going to be out there for the first shift, it’s got to to be an energy shift.”
That’s what the forwards can do. On defense, McNabb said, it starts with getting possession of the puck in the defensive zone and breaking out cleanly. That’s where Vegas struggled in the last game. While the Golden Knights were charged with just five giveaways, they had trouble getting the puck out to the point DeBoer said they had an “absurd amount” of turnovers.
“That’s something we have to clean up, and thankfully our goalie was real good and gave us a chance to hang around until we got our game together,” DeBoer said.
As for that goalie, the Golden Knights so far have alternated between Robin Lehner and Marc-André Fleury as their starter, with Lehner starting the first and third games of the year and Fleury starting the second. That rotation would lead to Fleury starting tonight, but Lehner was the first off the ice at morning skate, a usual indicator of the starting goalie.
DeBoer has instituted a policy of not confirming the goalie until warmups, so we will find out the starter at about 6:30 pm.
TV: AT&T SportsNet (DirecTV 684, Cox 1313, CenturyLink 1760)
Radio: Fox Sports 1340 AM and 98.9 FM
Betting line: Golden Knights minus-200, Coyotes plus-175; over/under: 5.5 (minus-115, minus-105)
Golden Knights (3-0-0, 6 points; 1st place, West Division)
Coach: Peter DeBoer (second season)
Points leader: Mark Stone (5)
Goals leader: Max Pacioretty (3)
Assists leader: Mark Stone (4)
Expected goalie: Robin Lehner (2.01 GAA, .926 save percentage)
Coyotes (1-1-1, 3 points; t-5th place, West Division)
Coach: Rick Tocchet (fourth season)
Points leaders: Jakob Chychrun (4)
Goals leader: Phil Kessel (3)
Assists leader: Derick Brassard, Jakob Chychrun, Oliver Ekman-Larsson (3)
Expected goalie: Darcy Kuemper (2.95 GAA, .903 save percentage)
Golden Knights projected lineup
Forwards
Max Pacioretty—Chandler Stephenson—Mark Stone
Jonathan Marchessault—William Karlsson—Reilly Smith
Alex Tuch—Nicolas Roy—Keegan Kolesar
William Carrier—Tomas Nosek—Ryan Reaves
Defensemen
Brayden McNabb—Alex Pietrangelo
Alec Martinez—Shea Theodore
Nicolas Hague—Zach Whitecloud
Goalies
Robin Lehner, Marc-André Fleury
