By ALAN SNEL
LVsportsBiz.com
LVSportsBiz.com photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell
The new guy, Mark Stone, was making his VGK debut and plus there was a sense of excitement in the building for a Tuesday night home game at T-Mobile Arena.
And one more thing. Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant had lamented about not seeing the fast-skating, chip-on-their-shoulder Misfits from Year One during a slump that netted the Knights only a single win the last eight home games. But tonight before a spirited crowd of 18,261, there was the return of the Misfits, as the Golden Knights secured a 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars.
VGK forward Max Pacioretty scored a goal to knot the score at one and then scored the game-winner in the third period against red-hot Dallas goalie Ben Bishop, whose six-foot, seven-inch frame blocked just about everything the Golden Knights unleashed against him. Two empty-netters by defensemen Nate Schmidt and Brayden McNabb sealed the deal.
LVSportsBiz.com talked with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and forward Jonathan Marchessault after the game to find out whether there was a renewed emphasis on playing a more physical game.
Marchy got into a scrap with a Dallas player who took a few physical shots against Fleury by hitting the goalie in the neck with his stick. Marchessault literally jumped in with a takedown, though drawing a penalty.
Let’s see what Fleury had to say after the game.
There was a palpable buzz in the Big Ice Barn on the Strip as the strapping, six-foot, four-inch much-heralded Stone donned a Golden Knights jersey for the first time Tuesday after arriving from the Ottawa Senators in Las Vegas just before midnight.
He played with Pacioretty and veteran center Paul Stastny and was a force on the power play, when he made some sweet passes for shots by his teammates that did not find the back of the goal. Here’s Stone after the game.
Owner Bill Foley came into the locker room to congratulate Stone on his first game with the Knights.
The Arizona Coyotes defeated the Florida Panthers, 4-3, in a shootout and remain six points behind the third place Golden Knights in the Pacific Division. The Knights now have 71 points to the Coyotes’ 65. Arizona has one game at hand.
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