"It hasn't been a successful trip," admitted Gerard Gallant.
It could've been disastrous. It was a 2-3 East Coast swing where the Golden Knights unquestionably outplayed their opponent just once.
Credit Marc-Andre Fleury -- he of 26 saves, many spectacular -- for averting disaster in his 1-0 shutout of the Flyers:
Winning Play
I could just post a gallery of Fleury saves here and call it a day.
But the fact of the matter is, Flower shouldn't need to make showstopping save after showstopping save to keep the Golden Knights in games. That is, if they are indeed an upper-echelon squad.
Granted, there were extenuating factors this Saturday afternoon: It was the last tilt of a five-game road trip that took Vegas from Minnesota to Philadelphia. The Flyers are stocked with dangerous offensive weapons.
But it's also been a trip beset by alarming defensive breakdowns.
"There are definitely things we need to fix," recognized Jonathan Marchessault.
These are important things, the foundation of any team's success:
• Eliminate Stretch Pass
A couple nights ago, it was Phil Kessel who caught the Knights napping with back-to-back breakaway goals. Tonight, it was Scott Laughton (15) and Claude Giroux (28) in the second period:
Obviously, you shouldn't be giving up breakaways on your own power play. Laughton gets an inexcusable step on Max Pacioretty (67) and Shea Theodore (27).
Nick Holden (22) pinches here. That's okay, because Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (41) is covering.
But Holden loses the puck in a collision and an uncontested Jori Lehtera (15) pounces on it. At that moment, Jon Merrill (15) is dipping his foot into the zone, instead of keeping an eye on a breaking Giroux.
It appears to be too aggressive a read from Merrill because once Holden turns the puck over, there isn't one Knight close to the puck. It's clearly Flyers possession and the much-maligned blueliner's positioning should reflect that.
Guaranteed, Dave Hakstol and company watched tape of Kessel dusting Vegas. Perhaps a Golden Knights group struggling to score -- they've potted 10 goals in six games -- is pressing for offense.
They need to go back to taking care of their own house first.
• Keep Skating
Good catch by @maydayhockey, pointing out details #VegasBorn has to improve. And this is Marchessault, who has been one of the better Knights so far this season: "Got to get your feet moving on the boards. That's what led to that chance. Aimless play." pic.twitter.com/ujsxuIJHqu
Vegas Golden Knights Blogger •Vegas Golden Knights Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»