Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Logan Thompson (36) is shown during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks at T-Mobile Arena Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022.
Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Golden Knights' hot start
In their 3-0-0 start, the Vegas Golden Knights won each game in different fashion: a back-and-forth thriller in Los Angeles, a defensive battle against Chicago and an imposition of their will in Seattle.
The common thread: Each win was anchored by strong goaltending from Logan Thompson and Adin Hill.
The netminder tandem allowed a combined five goals, with Thompson recording a 27-save shutout in the home opener Thursday against the Blackhawks.
The three goals Thompson gave up in the season opener Oct. 11 against the Kings were the result of sustained offensive pressure and the Golden Knights being hemmed in their own zone.
The two Hill gave up in Seattle on Saturday didn’t affect the outcome of the game, with Vegas up 5-0 after two periods.
“They haven’t allowed a bad goal,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I think they’d tell you they’d like to stop every one, but there’s no bad goals so far. That’s what you want out of your goaltending.”
Besides winning games, Thompson and Hill have shown poise and calm when things could have gone haywire.
Cassidy did not like the starts from his group in the first two games.
Vegas outshot Los Angeles 16-7 in the first period, but the majority of those 16 shots came when trailing 1-0.
The Golden Knights were outshot 11-9 in the first 20 minutes Thursday, but Thompson had a strong first period that included two saves on the penalty kill in the final minute.
Hill saw 11 shots against the Kraken but was buoyed with a 2-0 lead in the first three minutes.
“We’ve gotten off to a good start,” Hill said. “We have a good group of guys in here. We’re playing a good, structured game right now, keeping chances to a minimum.”
The quality of competition, however, has been a factor.
The Golden Knights beat a Los Angeles team that made the playoffs last season. But Chicago is tanking and Seattle isn’t ready to make the jump to contention.
Today’s Pacific Division showdown in Calgary against the Flames will be Vegas’ first true test.
One of Thompson’s signature wins last season came April 14 when the Calgary native made 35 saves in a 6-1 Vegas win at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
The level of competition gets even tougher as the month progresses, with Colorado and Toronto making appearances at T-Mobile Arena over the next week.
That will provide a better picture of how the Golden Knights stack up against top-tier competition.
“It’s good for the guys to taste success early,” Cassidy said. “You don’t want to be behind.”
Veteran goalie Laurent Brossoit, meanwhile, has started taking reps in practice.
Brossoit underwent offseason hip surgery and has been skating on his own with goalie coach Sean Burke since training camp.
Brossoit has slowly been integrated with the group over the past week, taking pucks during and after practice.
Brossoit must be cleared by his surgeon before being labeled a full go. That clearance could come as early as this week.
The Golden Knights are close to having three healthy goalies in their rotation.
How Cassidy handles that is anyone’s guess, but there is a possibility that Vegas will carry all three goalies on the game day roster.
Hague adjusting
Thrown into the fire without a preseason to learn Cassidy’s new system, defenseman Nic Hague has had to adapt.
The 23-year-old, a restricted free agent this summer who did not participate in the preseason while awaiting a new contract, made his season debut Thursday.
He played 13:52 against the Blackhawks and 17:29 in Seattle, where he got a bump in ice time on the penalty kill.
On Oct. 10, a day before the season opener, Hague signed a three-year deal worth nearly $2.3 million a year.
“Now that it’s all behind us, I couldn’t be happier to be back and be around for the next three years,” Hague said.
Hague skated on his own in his hometown of Kitchener, Ontario, to stay in shape. Assistant coach John Stevens stayed in communication with Hague to keep him up to speed on what to expect upon returning to Vegas.
“At the end of the day, he’s a Golden Knight. You don’t want the player to feel like we’ve forgotten about him,” Cassidy said.
Marchessault picking up where he left off
Your early clubhouse leader in goals with the Golden Knights is last year’s leading scorer. Jonathan Marchessault, off a two-goal game Saturday, has three through the first three games.
His first tally of the year was Vegas’ first of the season early in the second period against the Kings.
Marchessault scored on the power play and at even strength against the Kraken.
The first goal was a wide-open tap-in on the man advantage, the other came from a sharp angle below the goal line that found its way past Kraken goalie Martin Jones.
Cassidy moved Marchessault to the third line with William Karlsson and Paul Cotter. Cassidy likes to keep ice time even with his forward group, so Marchessault hasn’t seen a dip in time.
He saw more than two minutes on the power play against Seattle.
Marchessault hasn’t missed a beat in putting the puck in the back of the net. Even on a third line, that’s a luxury.
Upcoming schedule
• 6 p.m. Tuesday at Calgary — AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Cox 313, DirecTV 674)
• 7 p.m. Thursday vs. Winnipeg — AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Cox 313, DirecTV 674)
• 7 p.m. Saturday vs. Colorado — AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Cox 313, DirecTV 674)
