It’s easy to get a little frustrated with the Vegas Golden Knights’ recent form.
The post-Olympic schedule has been shaky to say the least, with Vegas’ 4-9-0 record tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the NHL’s worst record. Stars like Jack Eichel and Mark Stone have found it difficult to get back on track, while the goalkeeper’s performance continues to suffer. Even in a Pacific Division that feels more like a demolition derby than a game, the Golden Knights are entering the homestretch and potentially heading into it with a myriad of serious questions.
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The good news for the Golden Knights, however, is that the answers to some of those questions lie just 15 minutes away from T-Mobile Stadium.
The Henderson Silver Knights, affiliate of the American Hockey League’s Golden Knights, have been on a roll since last month’s All-Star break. The Silver Knights are arguably the hottest team in the AHL in terms of playoff prospects, with a record of 12 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses, including sweeping a tight six-game road trip. Henderson’s lead has been due to a breakneck attack in recent weeks, with 37 goals in the past six games, three different players scoring hat-tricks in the past five games, and a 25.5% success rate that has seen him jump from 13th to 1st in the past two months.
“Coach and my teammates get a lot of credit. I think they helped a lot with that,” said Silver Knights forward and Golden Knights top prospect Trevor Connelly, who has returned from injury to score in 11 straight games.
“I come to the rink every day and have fun, it’s awesome.”
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However, the Silver Knights hit a stumbling block on Saturday, losing 6-3 to the Texas Stars.
Texas defenseman Jeremie Poirier fired a backhand shot past Henderson goaltender Cameron Whitehead to give the Stars the first goal in five of their past six games.
However, it wasn’t long before the power play had its chance to make a difference. After getting some offensive zone time, Mitch McClain was able to find Kai Uchatz from behind the net. Uchacz, who got a taste of NHL competition in February, hit a single on the short side to tie the game at one.
“Kai…he got an NHL call-up before the All-Star break, played two games and then got called up again,” Silver Knights head coach Ryan Craig said in an interview with Uchaz.
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“The game he played here was taken there and he brought that game back and skated as well as he’s been all year.”
Next, another NHL veteran will also be able to join the board. Alexander Holtz, who has eight points in Henderson’s last seven games, got lucky when he fired a shot past Stars goaltender Remi Poirier in the fifth to give Henderson the lead.
“I think it’s great. I think we find each other on the ice as well [Uchacz]all three of us lined up,” said Connelly, who received the primary assist on Holtz’s goal.
“We can use our speed and skill to our advantage and take over the game with that. I think we know where we’re going to be and talk to each other before the game or during the game … so it’s fun.”
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A weak shot from Matthew Seminoff helped the Stars end the first period with a two-goal tie.
Artem Shlain scored in the first ten seconds of the second period against Texas to put the Stars back in front, and then Jake Becker buried a chance in front of Whitehead to extend the lead to two goals.
“We came into the locker room pretty good, tied two-two,” Craig said of his team’s emotional level heading into the first intermission.
“We said they loved playing across the ice, and they did. Our gaps and checking details were not up to par in the first 10 seconds, but we reset ourselves and got back into our game. Just couldn’t find a way to make the next play.”
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The third quarter was also challenging for the Silver Knights, with several power plays going awry.
“A power play started and we took three shots in the first 30 seconds and then we never put the puck in the net,” Craig said of the final power play.
“One of the things is just finding ways to get the puck in the net. I thought we were out of a little bit, out of some good areas. We probably need to attack a little bit more.”
Still, the Silver Knights were one step closer to a comeback when Tanner Laczynski buried the rebound when Brandon Hickey’s shot led to the puck falling in front of Remi Poirier.
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That would be as close as the Silver Knights could get, as the Stars would score two empty nets to end a six-game winning streak in a game that was more competitive than the final score suggested.
“Our checking game and how we managed the game wasn’t exactly how we performed on the road,” Craig said. “We played a good checking team tonight, a team that was good in the neutral zone, and I thought that took some of the momentum out of us at the end.”
