Knights defy odds with stellar start
History says the expansion Vegas Golden Knights shouldn’t be winning this often. Statistics also don’t provide a tidy explanation for why Vegas is the only team to start 6-1 in its first NHL season.
The Golden Knights’ Corsi rating, an indicator of puck possession, was 24th at 46.6 entering the week, according to Corsica.hockey. Their power play was clicking at 13.8%, which ranked
25th in the NHL.
The Golden Knights ranked
28th with an average of 29.4 shots on goal per game and 23rd in giving up an average of 34.1 shots per game. They were 12th in scoring and fourth in goals against.
But anyone who has watched the Golden Knights can testify that they are playing like an entertaining, relentless and competitive team.
Here is why they have had an unprecedented start.
Quality goaltending: The league’s average save percentage is .909, a low level we haven’t
seen since 2008-09. No. 1 goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, now injured, owns a .925 mark, and backup Malcolm Subban is at .936.
Even Oscar Dansk, who was pressed into service by Subban’s injury, stopped 10 of 11 shots he faced Oct. 21 in a win against the St. Louis Blues. Vegas’ goaltending has been elite.
Instant chemistry: Every player on this team played elsewhere last season, but this group is playing like a team that has been together for a while. General manager George McPhee put a heavy emphasis on character and leadership when he put his team together. That has expedited the bonding experience.
The Golden Knights also have grown closer and played with an extra layer of motivation as they seek to help the community heal after the mass shooting that killed 58 people in Las Vegas.
Multiple contributors: With six goals, winger James Neal has been a difference-maker, but David Perron and William Karlsson have overtime game-winners. Oscar Lindberg, who had eight goals in 65 games for the New York Rangers last season, has three goals. That’s a pace to score more than 30.
Defenseman Nate Schmidt is playing a strong 21 minutes, 33 seconds a game. The Golden
Knights are sixth in the league in faceoff percentage.
The right coach: Remember the good work coach Gerard Gallant did with the Florida Panthers when they captured the Atlantic Division title in 2015-16? He’s using the same approach to make the Golden Knights credible.
He understands people, and that helps him pull the right levers at the right time. Hiring Gallant is one of several good decisions McPhee has made with this team.
Favorable schedule: Five of their games have been at home, and four of their wins have come against teams at or below .500. They have beaten the winless Arizona Coyotes twice, and they also beat the Buffalo Sabres, who are 2-5-2. Their latest win came against the 6-2-1 Blues in overtime.
They were getting two more games at home — against the always-tough Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday and against the .500 Colorado Avalanche, who finished last overall in 2016-17, on Friday — before they head east for a six-game trip.