Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Golden Knights’ shutout of Islanders as good as they come

VGK over Islanders, 2020

Isaac Brekken / Associated Press

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Reilly Smith (19) celebrates after scoring against the New York Islanders during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, in Las Vegas.

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Golden Knights Shut Out Islanders

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Reilly Smith (19) shoots as New York Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov defends during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, in Las Vegas. Launch slideshow »

Shea Theodore replied quickly to the question with the obvious answer, especially considering it was asked of a defenseman.

The Golden Knights have won their past two games by one goal — 1-0 Saturday against the Islanders; 6-5 Thursday in a slugfest with the Blues. So, Shea, which one do you prefer?

“I think tonight’s game is the way we want to play,” Theodore said. “You’re not going to win a lot of games giving up five goals down the stretch.”

Vegas controlled the puck so well Saturday night that until the last few minutes of the game, the franchise record for shots allowed on goal against was in play. New York finished with 19, four more than the fewest Vegas has ever allowed, with six of those coming in the final 3:31 of the contest.

The Golden Knights had 43 shots but only one them wound up in the net. That was Reilly Smith’s put-back try at the end of the second period after Jonathan Marchessault pounced on a puck behind the New York net left open because of a miscommunication between the goalie and defenseman.

Marchessault fed Smith, who back-handed the puck off the post, then buried the rebound at 19:25.

It’s a stark contrast to the 6-5 win against the Blues on Thursday, where defensive lapses allowed St. Louis to score five times on 24 shots. Vegas allowed five goals at 5-on-5, which was the most in a game this season. It was clear the Vegas players were far happier with Saturday’s outcome.

“Going forward that’s how we’re going to have to play,” Theodore said. “It’s going to be tight all the way until the end and it’s good to get comfortable in those kinds of games right now.”

Part of the success was keeping New York’s top line in check. Mathew Barzal is the Islanders’ top-line center, one of the more electrifying players in hockey and the team’s leading scorer. He played 23:23 on Saturday — more than any Vegas player — but he mustered just one shot attempt in the game.

Barzal’s line generated 10 shot attempts at 5-on-5 which accounted for almost half the 24 that New York had as a team. But while he, Anders Lee and Jordan Eberle were on the ice together, they also surrendered 20 shot attempts, more than any other line.

“I thought the best defense against that line tonight was making them play in their own end,” Golden Knights coach Peter DeBoer said. “We kept them pinned in their zone for a lot of shifts, which kept (Barzal) from attacking and getting into open ice.”

That’s credit to the Golden Knights’ forward line of Max Pacioretty, William Karlsson and Mark Stone, as well as the defensive pair of Nate Schmidt and Brayden McNabb. Barzal played more than half of his 5-on-5 time against those five, which forced the Islanders to play in their own zone with their best forwards on the ice.

And if the Islanders’ top line can’t cross center-ice, what chance does the rest of the team have? The Golden Knights generated 61 shot attempts at 5-on-5 and surrendered just 24. That 71.8% share is the highest in a single game in team history.

Marc-Andre Fleury recorded his fourth shutout of the season and the 60th of his career.

“I thought we did a really good job supporting the puck all over the place, whether we had it or they had it we had guys surrounding the puck and taking away chances,” defenseman Nick Holden said. “He prides himself on not getting scored on and we do too, so I think that was a really good game for the team and obviously for him.”

The Golden Knights held the Islanders to just four shots on goal in the second period, and in a stretch spanning the second and third periods, did not allow a shot on goal for 17:13. That was the timeframe that the Golden Knights scored and where the game was ultimately decided.

The Islanders had a strong push at the end of the game after they pulled goalie Semyon Varlamov with 2:13 left in the game. They fired seven shot attempts from the time Varlamov left his crease until the final whistle. That was where Fleury played his best to preserve the shutout.

“It shows that this team can win a lot of different ways, and tonight was one of those where there just wasn’t going to be a lot,” Schmidt said. “It’s important for our guys to be able to lock it down in a situation like that.”

Justin Emerson can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Justin on Twitter at twitter.com/@j15emerson.

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