The Vegas Golden Knights took home their fourth consecutive win of the season and remain undefeated after a late third-period comeback and a shootout victory against the Dallas Stars at T-Mobile Arena on Oct. 17. This was the first of three matchups between the two teams in 2023-24, with the regular-season series wrapping up on Dec. 9.
Golden Knights rookie Kaeden Korczak scored his first NHL goal on a beautiful wrist shot from the top of the offensive zone circle to tie the game 1-1 in the second period. He’s the fourth defenseman to score a goal for Vegas this season and the second to score their first-ever goal, joining Brayden Pachal on that list.
With the win, the Golden Knights and the Colorado Avalanche are now the only two undefeated teams in the NHL, with the Avalanche having played three games. The last time the Golden Knights went 4-0-0 to start a season was in the shortened 2021 campaign when the NHL realigned its divisions and adjusted its schedule to 56 games to adapt to COVID-19 restrictions.
This was the first matchup between the teams since their Western Conference Final series in the 2023 Playoffs when the Golden Knights overcame a 0-2 series deficit to beat the Stars in six games. Dallas was by far their toughest opponent in the postseason, and they look primed for another deep playoff run.
Playoff Hockey in October
Through four games, this was the toughest for the Golden Knights to get to the middle of the ice. The Stars’ defensive structure is similar – they also aim to keep the opposition to the perimeter to limit high-danger chances. Neither team strayed away from this strategy, which made it a chess match in the neutral zone and not the most exciting game to watch.
This was the first time the Golden Knights have been held off the scoreboard in the first period this season and the first time that they conceded the first goal of the game. They’ve started each game with a lack of intensity, and against one of the best teams in the league, they had to deal with a much tougher response to their poor decision-making.
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By the second period, there was more physicality and a lot less space for either team to move with the puck, making this the closest thing to playoff hockey that we’ve seen this season. There were a combined 32 penalty minutes and two fights in this one – one between Nicholas Hague and Jamie Benn and the other between Ben Hutton and Mason Marchment following Marchment’s huge open-ice hit on Brett Howden.
The Golden Knights are built for this type of playoff-style environment, but it took some time before they found their footing and put any sustained pressure on the Stars’ defense. They won’t be able to rely on goaltenders Adnin Hill or Logan Thompson to save them every time they face pressure early in games, but this is likely to be their toughest opponent this season, and they showed their ability to win in the face of adversity.
Golden Knights’ Special Teams Issues Continue
The Golden Knights are at their best when special teams don’t play a significant role in the game. They dominated at 5-on-5 in the regular season and playoffs last season, and it will be their only time to generate offense if they don’t turn things around.
After going 0/4 in this game, the Golden Knights are now 2/15 on the power play to start the season (13.3%, 20th in NHL). Against a team as defensively structured as the Stars, they have to take advantage of every edge they get in a game, and the Golden Knights aren’t going to be able to consistently rely on late third-period heroics to keep them in it.
To be fair to Vegas, Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger was remarkable, stopping 32 of the 34 shots in regulation and overtime for a .941 save percentage (SV%). Hill also had himself a great game, stopping 24 of 26 shots for a .923 SV%. He was a big reason that the Golden Knights were able to weather the storm early on, and he has continued to prove that he’s worth every dollar of his contract extension.
The Golden Knights took the fewest penalties in the NHL last season with an average of 2.92 per 60 minutes. While this small sample size will skew the numbers, the Golden Knights rank 10th in penalty minutes to start the season (18) and are on pace to smash last season’s total.
They were fortunate enough to kill both penalties in this game, but they were at crucial moments in the midst of offensive opportunities. Jonathan Marchessault took an interference penalty 30 seconds into a power play, and Paul Cotter took an interference penalty just before a 2-on-1 transpired. While some of the calls were questionable, it’s clear that they’re not going to benefit from the officiating they have in years past.
What’s Ahead for the Golden Knights
This was a really gutsy performance by the Golden Knights. Coming off three games against some of the weaker teams in the league, it can be difficult to get up for this type of game so early in the season, and they kept themselves within reach the entire game. While they still have flaws in their game, they look like the well-rounded team that just won the Stanley Cup a few months ago, and it’s going to take a full 60-minute effort to beat them.
In addition to being one of two remaining teams without a loss, the Golden Knights are the first championship team in 25 years to start the following season 4-0-0 – the 1997-98 Detroit Red Wings were the last team. Without trying to look too far ahead, the last time a defending champion started 5-0-0 was when Wayne Gretzky was in the league, playing for the 1985-86 Edmonton Oilers.
The Golden Knights will get Wednesday off to travel up to Winnipeg and prepare to take on the Jets on Thursday, Oct. 19, another Central Division team with an intense playoff history against the Golden Knights. However, the Jets haven’t been quite as dangerous this season, starting with a 1-2-0 record while allowing 14 goals.
