Analysis: Peter DeBoer ‘is doing great,’ has earned the right to an ovation

By Case Keefer (contact)

Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020 | 8:30 p.m.

When the Vegas Golden Knights announced former foe Peter DeBoer as their new coach last month, there was a debate over whether he would be cheered or jeered in his first game on the home bench at T-Mobile Arena.

That’s no longer a question anymore, right? It shouldn’t be a question, especially not after the Golden Knights played arguably their best game of the season in a 7-2 win over the Florida Panthers Thursday night at the BB&T Center.

The victory clinched a 3-1 post-All Star Break road trip and improved Vegas to 4-2-1 since DeBoer took over for Gerard “Turk” Gallant. Going into DeBoer’s home debut Saturday night against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Golden Knights sit indisputably in a good spot for the first time in more than a month.

“All respect to Turk, but right now, Pete is doing great,” forward Jonathan Marchessault said. “He’s a really good hockey coach and he thinks the game really well. Hopefully the fans can make him a warm welcome, too.”

Marchessault is right. Disagreeing with the way Gallant was dumped and believing in the team’s potential under DeBoer are not mutually exclusive.

The taming of the Panthers, which had won seven of their last nine games, showed DeBoer’s lessons are sticking, both on the macro and micro levels. The players’ effort levels illustrate that they’re taking them to heart.

Mark Stone alone could have proved as much on Thursday. Stone was a man on a mission, chipping in five points in a season where he had never previously had more than two in a game and saving a goal defensively when he dove in front of a puck on an odd-man rush.

“I’ve always said you need your best players to be your most honest guys, and he’s the first guy buying in to back check and sacrifice himself defensively,” DeBoer said, “When your best players have that type of mindset, that’s contagious.”

The Golden Knights’ All-Star was the same way. Max Pacioretty took over after Stone scored the first two Vegas goals in the opening minutes of each of the first two periods.

Pacioretty punched one in on a pass from Stone near the end of the second period to put the Golden Knights up 3-2, and was part of a four-goal third period onslaught with another successful close-range shot assisted by Stone. He says he’s adapted to the pace DeBoer is demanding, not hesitating to label that as the way DeBoer has impressed him the most.

“You guys have seen how fast and intense we’re playing, especially on our own end,” Pacioretty said. “It leads to a lot of great offense. It’s very important for winning hockey games especially as the games get tighter and the season goes on. That’s how you’ve got to play in the playoffs to have success.”

Marchessault, who scored the game’s penultimate goal on a power play, answered similarly when asked about the best part of playing under DeBoer. He praised the speed the Golden Knights have shown because of rolling lines and shorter shifts.

Despite having played three road games in five days coming into the Panthers’ matchup, Reilly Smith said the team felt fresh. They showed it as they looked like the Golden Knights from yesteryear by frustrating even the Panthers, another fast team, with their tempo.

That hasn’t been DeBoer’s only emphasis.

He also wanted the penalty kill to be one of his first fixes, demanding a more attacking style. It looks like he’s done it.

Opponents have only scored three goals on 21 power-play chances — Florida had one to tie the game at 1-1 when Mike Hoffman blasted in a one-timer in the first period — in the first seven games under DeBoer. In the span, the Golden Knights have moved from 22^nd in the NHL on the penalty kill to 17^th.

“I think we’ve played well, we’ve gotten better every day,” DeBoer said. “We’ve gotten a chance to get to know each other and you can feel a belief developing in what we’re doing, and we’ve got to carry that over to our home rink because there’s a lot of work left to do.”

T-Mobile Arena can make for one of the best home-ice advantages in hockey when it’s roaring. There’s no reason it shouldn’t reach deafening decibel levels to welcome DeBoer.

If the players can move past the coaching change so quickly, so can the fans. Success cures all grudges, and though it’s still early, DeBoer looks like he’s poised for a great deal of success in Las Vegas.

He’s bringing the best out of a team that has spent a frustrating amount of the season not showing their best.

“This has been a good stretch of hockey for us,” Stone said. “We’re playing the right way.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.