In the final game of the opening night for the Rookie Faceoff, the hosting Los Angeles Kings took on the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night. The Kings’ 2024 first-round pick Liam Greentree was among the big names in their lineup which also included players like Brandt Clarke and Francesco Pinelli.
The Kings got off to a hot start, maintaining most of the possession early on and creating chances both while set up in the offensive zone and on the rush. Despite that, just under five minutes into the game, Erik Portillo had to make a big save to deny a breakaway opportunity that could’ve easily given Vegas an early lead against the run of play. He had to do it again less than three minutes later when Sloan Stanick got a breakaway, but Portillo made a big glove save.
Vegas got the first power play of the night when John Parker-Jones got sent to the penalty box for goaltender interference after a collision with Vegas netminder Jesper Vikman. Moments later, the Golden Knights took the lead with just under eight minutes remaining in the period. A cross-crease pass by Mathieu Cataford was placed perfectly for Jakub Brabenec to put it away. At the same exact time, Luke Rowe was called for delay of the game handing the Golden Knights another power play. The Kings would be able to kill off the second penalty though.
The Kings got their first power play of the night with 5:21 remaining in the first period, as Ben Hemmerling was penalized for slashing in front of the Kings’ net. The first fight of the tournament broke out with just 11 seconds remaining in the first period. Kaleb Lawrence threw a big hit along the boards, which got the attention of Samuel Mayer and the two dropped the gloves. Lawrence was also given a two-minute penalty for instigating, and both participants were given a 10-minute misconduct. At the end of the first period, Vegas led 1-0 and still had nearly a full power play ahead of them.
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The Kings killed off the penalty to start the second period and immediately started applying some offensive pressure. Koehn Zimmer had a great chance roughly six minutes into the period, cutting through the defense but ultimately being denied by Vikman. The physicality went up a notch during the second period as well, which led to a second fight of the game just moments after Zimmer’s scoring chance. This time it was Joe Fleming and Parker-Jones who dropped the gloves. Carl Lindbom took over between the pipes for the Golden Knights at one point in the second period and the same was the case for the Kings, as Carter George took over for Portillo.
A power-play goal by Braedon Bowman put the game out of reach for the Kings, as the Golden Knights took a 2-0 lead with minimal time remaining. The Golden Knights would end up walking away victorious, with a final score of 2-0.
Brandt Clarke Is an Impact Player
Everything that Clarke did, he made it look easy. Whether it was carrying the puck out of the defensive zone and starting a rush, or being exactly where he needed to be in the defensive zone. He played a strong all-around game, and it’s clear that this season he’s probably ready to stick in the NHL. He’s played a total of 25 games at the NHL level over the course of the last two seasons, with 16 of those coming in the 2023-24 season. Based on his play so far, it seems like he’s going to need to fall off massively over the coming month to not be on the Kings’ opening night roster.
Vegas Continuing to Build a Big Blue Line
The Golden Knights have always been known for their massive defensemen who get in the way of any forwards who have the misfortune of playing against them. They can clog the passing and shooting lanes, take away space, and make offense generally hard to come by for their opposition. Their prospect pool appears to be no different. Every single one of their defensemen was over 6-foot, and half of them were at least 6-foot-3. It’s a wise move by their management to continue drafting and developing players who fit into their current game plan, and that’s certainly the approach Vegas has taken.
Kings Countered with Size of Their Own
Despite Vegas having quite a considerable amount of size on the blue line, the Kings weren’t going to be easily intimidated. The Kings had two defensemen who were 6-foot-4 or taller, and three forwards who also fit that criteria including the 6-foot-6 Lawrence and Parker-Jones who is 6-foot-7.
Overall, despite it being a one-sided affair on the scoreboard, both teams played a strong physical game and it was a fairly even matchup all things considered. Vegas will take Saturday off, while the Kings get right back into the action against the Utah Hockey Club on the second day of the tournament.
