Blog: Malcolm Subban’s first career shutout helps Golden Knights roll over Jets

By Justin Emerson

Published Thursday, March 21, 2019 | 4 p.m.

Updated Thursday, March 21, 2019 | 9:28 p.m.

The third period was far from the most intense frame the Golden Knights have ever played, but it didn't matter. The game was over before the puck even dropped.

The Golden Knights pounded the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, scoring five goals in the first two periods and coasting in the third to a 5-0 win at T-Mobile Arena.

Malcolm Subban's shutout was the first of his career, making 20 saves.

Reilly Smith and William Karlsson each scored twice, and Tomas Nosek had a short-handed goal in the second period.

Vegas led in shots on goal, 38-20.

Golden Knights roll in second period

The second period was even better for Vegas than the first, adding three goals and going up 5-0 over the Winnipeg Jets.

Winnipeg has one of the top power plays in the league, and on its second power-play attempt of the night, a goal was scored, but it was a Tomas Nosek short-handed goal. He went bar-down on Laurent Brossoit after Paul Stastny sprung him loose.

Nosek's goal chased Brossoit from the game, the second time in as many games Vegas' opponent pulled its goalie. Connor Hellebuyck entered the game after Nosek's goal at 6:00 of the second.

Nick Holden grabbed the secondary assist, his second helper of the night.

The Golden Knights made sure Hellebuyck didn't get too comfortable either, scoring twice in 25 seconds. Reilly Smith potted his second of the night at 17:55, firing a laser by Hellebuyck to make it 4-0.

William Karlsson went ahead and added his second of the night seconds later, an unassisted tally at 18:20.

Vegas led in shots 27-16.

Vegas grabs lead after 1

It was pretty clear early what kind of game it was going to be Thursday night. It took less than 90 seconds for there to be a fight and a goal, and after the first period, the Golden Knights led the Winnipeg Jets 2-0.

Mark Stone isn't known as a fighter, but when he checked Blake Wheeler up high, the two threw down the gloves 29 seconds into the game.

Then William Karlsson kept his hot streak going to keep T-Mobile Arena alive. If he didn't have puck luck early in the season, regression came for him in the best way at 1:24. Karlsson just threw a back-handed offering at the Winnipeg net, and it banked off the inside of Laurent Brossoit's pad and through his legs for a goal.

It was his second goal in as many games and fifth point in three games. Nick Holden and Jon Merrill each picked up assists.

The Golden Knights kept the fireworks going. The Jets tried to clear it out of their zone, but Paul Stastny was there to pluck out of there to give it to give it to Reilly Smith in what became a 2-on-2. Smith faked a slap shot and waited just long enough to get by the diving Winnipeg defenseman and roof it by Brossoit short-side at 8:26 and make it 2-0.

The period was not without its setbacks. Near the end of the frame, Max Pacioretty took a hit along the boards and immediately skated off to the dressing room favoring his right leg. He did not return to the bench in the period.

Pre-game

The last time the Winnipeg Jets came to town, they used two nearly identical power-play goals to sink the Golden Knights.

It was Patrik Laine both times. It was from the same spot both times. Vegas knows what Laine and the rest of the Winnipeg power play are looking to do and will try to cool the league's fourth-ranked unit when the teams face off at 7 p.m. today at T-Mobile Arena.

"I think you have to respect them and maybe play to their tendencies, but we also just have to focus on our identity as a penalty kill," Vegas forward Ryan Carpenter said. "When (Laine) is such a threat, sometimes you can easily overplay him, and it opens other guys up and it seems like he doesn't miss."

The Jets power play converts at a 25.8 percent clip, which is tops in the Western Conference. Laine leads the team with 14 goals with an extra man, and Blake Wheeler leads the squad with 32 points. Mark Scheifele has 11 goals and 11 assists.

Laine, a right-handed shot, likes to set up from the left circle much like Washington star Alex Ovechkin and beat Vegas clean twice on Feb. 22. The Golden Knights could get flustered by it, or they could learn from last time.

"We all know where those guys can shoot from and ... it's our job to get in those lanes and block passes," Golden Knights forward Cody Eakin said. "If he's scoring two, then we could have done something differently to help the goalie out."

Vegas prides itself on the penalty kill, a unit that ranks seventh in the league at 81.8 percent. The Golden Knights held the Jets to 0-for-2 with the extra man in their first meeting on Jan. 15 in Winnipeg, so they know they can stop them.

Malcolm Subban will make his third-consecutive start in goal for the Golden Knights, with Marc-Andre Fleury nursing a lower-body injury. Vegas center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, one of the team's best penalty killers, is a game-time decision.

Emerson's Prediction: Jets 4, Golden Knights 3

Season record for predictions: Keefer 5-5, Emerson 20-11

TV: AT&T Sports Net (DirecTV 684, Cox 1313, CenturyLink 1760)

Radio: Fox Sports 1340 AM and 98.9 FM

Betting line: Golden Knights minus-180, Jets plus-160; over/under: 6.5 (minus-115, minus-105)

Golden Knights (41-27-5) (22-10-4 home), third place, Pacific Division

Coach: Gerard Gallant (second season)

Points leader: Mark Stone (70)

Goals leader: Mark Stone (32)

Assists leader: Mark Stone (38)

Expected goalie: Malcolm Subban (2.46 gaa, .914 save percentage)

Jets (44-25-4) (20-16-0 road), first place, Central Division

Coach: Paul Maurice (fifth season)

Points leader: Blake Wheeler (88)

Goals leaders: Mark Scheifele (35)

Assists leader: Blake Wheeler (68)

Expected goalie: Laurent Broissoit (2.42 gaa, .927 save percentage)

Golden Knights expected lineup

Forwards

Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, Reilly Smith, Max Pacioretty, Paul Stastny, Mark Stone, Tomas Nosek, Cody Eakin, Alex Tuch, Ryan Carpenter, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Ryan Reaves

Defensemen

Brayden McNabb, Nate Schmidt, Shea Theodore, Deryk Engelland, Nick Holden, Colin Miller

Goalies

Maxime Lagace, Malcolm Subban