The Golden Knights lost a high offence match 3-1 to the St. Louis Blues last night in what was a disappointing effort in front of Robin Lehner. The team just isn’t defending like they did last season. Here’s what Head Coach Peter DeBoer has to say on the loss:

“It’s a concern, but it’s essentially the same group that led the league in goals against last year, so I know we can defend, and I know we can defend better than we have. It’s just getting to it, with a little more commitment.
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It’s a concern because you can’t win in this league giving up 40-plus shots per night,”

The Golden Knights limited shots much better last year. That said, it’s not surprising to see defensive teams struggling out of the gate.

Injury attrition
The Golden Knights held a practice on Saturday where the defensemen outnumbered the forwards 7-6. The roster is facing serious injury accumulation from the last four years of playoff success — first round loss to the Sharks notwithstanding.

Currently out of the lineup are Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, Alex Tuch, and COVID protocol Mattias Janmark. Likely playing injured are William Carrier, Shea Theodore, Nic Roy, Brett Howden, and now Alec Martinez — who went down the tunnel last night.

It’s not unreasonable to say that it is difficult for Peter DeBoer to implement system hockey when he can’t get a full lineup in practice.

The Vegas Golden Knights’ defence will be further tested against the high scoring Edmonton Oilers tomorrow at 8pm.


Enjoy your day,


Trevor Neufeld



Follow me on Twitter @Trevor_Neufeld

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