Vegas Golden Knights center Nicolas Roy (10) tries to control a pass near New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) during the third period of an NHL hockey game at T-Mobile Arena Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024.
Published Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024 | 9:34 p.m.
Updated Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024 | 11:22 p.m.
Nic Roy is not Jack Eichel. The surprise in that statement is sure to send shockwaves.
Not many players can replicate what Eichel does as a threat every time he touches the puck. But in Eichel’s absence, as he begins recovery from a lower-body surgery, others will get a chance to produce.
Roy doesn’t have the speed or the shot that Eichel has, but he’s methodical. And when he plays with wingers like Ivan Barbashev and Jonathan Marchessault, he can make the right plays to produce offense.
That was the case Thursday in the Golden Knights’ 5-1 win over the New York Rangers at T-Mobile Arena. Roy had two assists, both in the first period on goals from Marchessault and Barbashev, to kickstart a second straight win for Vegas; the first such occurrence in over a month.
“The more you’re making plays, the more your confidence goes up,” Roy said.
Roy has long shown flashes of being someone who can excel when playing up the lineup. Two factors hinder that, however.
One is the center depth. Playing behind two all-stars in Eichel and Chandler Stephenson, and one of the league’s best two-way centers in William Karlsson, doesn’t create a lot of need to go up. Roy has gotten a chance to play on the wing in different opportunities, but center ice is where he’s at his best.
Second is that he’s anchoring one of the league’s best fourth lines when fully healthy. The trio of Roy, William Carrier and Keegan Kolesar is a physical line that does well with puck possession and has sneaky offensive ability.
But Carrier is out for the foreseeable future with an upper-body injury, and Kolesar has had to play with a different call-up from AHL Henderson every other game.
That’s given Roy the chance to showcase his skill. With the Golden Knights still searching for consistent offense, it’s an opportunity he’s taking in stride.
“Trying to bring some energy there when I play with Koley and Will, keep it simple,” Roy said.” I’d say we’re putting more pucks deep there and going on the forecheck more, trying to make plays on the entries. That’s probably the biggest difference.”
The first 10 minutes did not have the makings of a 5-1 game. If anything, it was going to trend in the Rangers’ favor.
New York’s sublime passing and puck movement was a problem for the Vegas defense. If not for Logan Thompson stopping all 11 shots in the first period, things could have gotten out of hand.
The Golden Knights couldn’t break through the Rangers’ 1-3-1 neutral-zone trap. It took midway through the first period to finally get a chance. That came at 11:35 when Roy and Marchessault evaded two Rangers players and set up a 3-on-2. Roy and Marchessault’s give-and-go found Marchessault in close to beat Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin for a 1-0 lead.
Just over three minutes later, Roy recorded his second primary assist of the period when his cross-ice pass found a cutting Barbashev and the puck bounced off his skate and past Shesterkin. Official review held up to give Vegas a 2-0 lead.
“I think we made a lot of great plays tonight. Obviously we buried two, so that’s a plus,” Roy said. “That’s how we want to play. We want to have a lot of chances in the offensive zone and make plays.”
That kind of play has also called for Roy to get power-play time, even when everyone is healthy. It’s what trusts coach Bruce Cassidy to put him in those situations.
Roy has 18 points through 36 games (seven goals, 11 assists) and is closing in on a third straight 30-point season.
“He’s had to bring a different type of game to our lineup,” Cassidy said. “He’s done it, and opportunity now knocks with a couple guys out.”
Thompson made 29 saves for his fourth win in five starts, and the Golden Knights (26-14-5) won consecutive games for the first time since winning four in a row from Dec. 6-12. Prior to the 4-1 win over Nashville on Monday, the Golden Knights went 4-9-0 in their next 13.
But it’s been a committee of different players stepping up recently. Mark Stone had a hat trick in the win on Monday, and Roy’s line counted for two goals at 5-on-5; Barbashev scored on the power play in the second period to give him two on the night.
Defensively, Vegas has allowed two goals or fewer in four of its last six games and hasn’t allowed more than three since Jan. 4.
More opportunities will come if the Golden Knights keep finding ways to win. They would like all their centers to be healthy and operating at top efficiency.
According to Marchessault, though, maybe Roy can fill the void left by both injured centers.
“He doesn’t get enough credit. He’s like Karlsson a little bit,” Marchessault said. “He’s heavy in the corner, he makes the right plays at the right time, he plays well defensively. He’s a big guy so he protects the puck well and we’re trying to use that to our advantage.”
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on X at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
