Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) blocks a shot by New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal (13) during an NHL hockey game at T-Mobile Arena, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018.
Published Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020 | 4 p.m.
Updated Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020 | 10:03 p.m.
The Golden Knights came into the game knowing they needed to be better defensively than they have their past few games. They responded with one of the best defensive performances in team history.
The Golden Knights scored only once, but allowed just 19 shots on goal in a 1-0 victory over the New York Islanders at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday.
It was the second 1-0 victory in regular season history for Vegas.
Marc-Andre Fleury recorded the shutout with those 19 saves, just passing the record 17 for fewest he's ever made in a shutout. It was his fourth clean sheet of the season.
The Golden Knights got their one goal courtesy of an Islanders misplay behind their own net. Both goalie Semyon Varlamov and defenseman Nick Leddy each thought the other was going to play the puck, and instead Jonathan Marchessault did, jumping into the play to feed Reilly Smith. From there Smith hit the post with his initial attempt, but it bounced to him and he was able to bury the rebound with 34.7 seconds remaining in the second period.
That was the only goal Vegas recorded against Varlamov, who was tremendous in net for New York. He made 42 saves, including some highlight-reel ones, to keep the Islanders in it. They pulled him for an extra attacker with just under two minutes to play.
The game started physically, with two fights in the first period alone. Once the first period passed, it was all about Golden Knights' puck possession. They had eight shots in the first period, then 20 in the second and 15 in the third. They held New York to only four shots in the second period and 10 shots through two periods.
Late second period goal puts Golden Knights on top of Islanders
It looked like the Golden Knights and New York Islanders were going to the end the second period in the same scoreless tie in which they ended the first. Then an Islanders misplay, a heads-up effort from Jonathan Marchessault and a finish from Reilly Smith put Vegas up 1-0 after two periods at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday.
The Golden Knights dumped it in and Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov and defenseman Nick Leddy each thought the other was going to get the puck. Instead, Marchessault jumped into the play and fed Reilly Smith. His backhand went off the post, but a fortuitous bounce allowed his forehand offering to score the first of the game.
Even before that, the Golden Knights had the best opportunities of the period, which isn't a huge surprise considering they held the Islanders to just four shots in the period. William Karlsson even generated 0.43 expected goals on his own in one shift and three shot attempts, all coming right in front of the Islanders net but not sneaking past Semyon Varlamov.
The Islanders had a truncated power play when Vegas had too many men on the ice, but a Noah Dobson trip sent the game to 4-on-4 before a Golden Knights power play. And as that penalty expired Paul Stastny came so close to a tap-in goal, but Varlamov made a diving still save to keep the game scoreless.
Vegas led in shots on goal 28-10 after two periods.
Physical first period ends with Golden Knights, Islanders in 0-0 tie
It looked like hockey from a different age, with fists flying as much as pucks. And when the bell rung at the end of the match, the Golden Knights and New York Islanders were deadlocked in a 0-0 tie after the first period at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday.
The game started off in an odd way, with Ryan Reaves and New York's Ross Johnston throwing their gloves down at the same time as the opening puck drop. Their fight went into the books at 0:03 of the first period, and it was Reaves' third fight of the season.
The street hockey game continued just past the halfway point of the first period, when Nick Holden boarded Mathew Barzal but it went uncalled. Anders Lee responded, and both Holden and Lee got five for fighting, giving the game 20 penalty minutes in the first 10:29 of the game.
The Golden Knights got the the first power play of the game on the least physical penalty possible — a puck-over-glass called on Ryan Pulock — then went to 4-on-4 after a Jonathan Marchessault interference on Leo Komarov.
The period ended with two fights, four penalties, 24 penalty minutes and no goals. The Glden Knights led in shots on goals 8-6.
Golden Knights looking for stronger defensive play against Islanders
The Golden Knights have had a goal problem lately. Specifically preventing them. Vegas has allowed at least four goals in its last three games and has not had a home game in 2020 where it has given up fewer than three.
Against tonight's opponent, that's flirting with disaster. The New York Islanders have allowed the seventh-fewest goals in the league this season behind one of the best goalie tandems in the NHL. Expect a tighter defensive performance from the Golden Knights when the puck drops at 7:30 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena.
"The Islanders won't give you much offensively, or as much as some teams," defenseman Nick Holden said. "I hate getting scored on, so when we're giving up that many goals, one, you're not going to win consistently, and two it gives you anger and drive to make sure that you're a little sharper and harder the next game."
Both of the Golden Knights' last home games have ended in 6-5 overtime scores, the only times this season Vegas has played in a game with 11 or more total goals. Vegas sees that as an aberration. Teams often preach the importance of defensive systems so while high-scoring games are fun to watch, they can make a coach's skin crawl.
And when a team gives up five even-strength goals like the Golden Knights did against the Blues on Thursday, coaches take notice. Vegas bench boss Peter DeBoer said he expects tonight's game to be more like the game on Tuesday in Minnesota, where despite a 4-0 loss, there was one combined goal at even strength.
"We got away with one and you're not going to get away with it two nights in a row," DeBoer said. "We're going to have to battle to get to the net and battle to keep them away from our net."
The Islanders always have two goalies to choose from and tonight they are electing for Semyon Varlamov, who is having a resurgent season with New York. Varlamov established himself as a strong starting goalie in Colorado, then saw a dip in production in two of his last three years sandwiched around a good one. He joined the Islanders on a four-year contract to get into a system known for getting the most out of its goalies and he answered with a .915 save percentage this season and a 2.2 wins above replacement (per Evolving Wild) that is ninth-best in the NHL.
The Golden Knights meanwhile will welcome back forward Cody Glass for his first game since Jan. 4. He had been fighting an injury and will be making his first appearance since DeBoer took over as coach. He scored on Thursday in the American Hockey League in a conditioning assignment.
Marc-Andre Fleury will start in net for the Golden Knights, looking to improve on a season-long .904 save percentage that would be his worst in more than a decade.
Vegas is 2-2-1 all-time against the Islanders, including a 3-2 overtime loss on Dec. 5 on Long Island. Vegas is 1-1 in two home games against New York.
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-185, Islanders plus-155; over/under: 6.0 (minus-105, minus-115)
Golden Knights (29-22-8, 64 points) (15-10-4 home), third place, Pacific Division
Coach: Peter DeBoer (first season)
Points leader: Mark Stone (57)
Goals leader: Max Pacioretty (26)
Assists leader: Mark Stone (37)
Expected goalie: Marc-Andre Fleury (2.87 GAA, .904 save percentage)
Islanders (37-17-6, 72 points) (15-10-2 road), third place, Metropolitan Division
Coach: Barry Trotz (second season)
Points leader: Mathew Barzal (48)
Goals leader: Brock Nelson (21)
Assists leader: Mathew Barzal (30)
Expected goalie: Semyon Varlamov (2.59 GAA, .915 save percentage)
Golden Knights projected lineup
Forwards
Jonathan Marchessault—Paul Stastny—Reilly Smith
Max Pacioretty—William Karlsson—Mark Stone
Chandler Stephenson—Cody Eakin—Cody Glass
William Carrier—Tomas Nosek—Ryan Reaves
Defensemen
Brayden McNabb—Nate Schmidt
Jon Merrill—Shea Theodore
Nick Holden—Zach Whitecloud
Goalies
Marc-Andre Fleury, Malcolm Subban
