Golden Knights Win Shootout Over Coyotes, 2-1, Before 18,326 Fans Friday Afternoon
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
It seems every game these days for the Vegas Golden Knights is a one-goal grind.
And Friday afternoon, it was Tuch time in a shootout with the Arizona Coyotes as the VGK won, 2-1, in the shootout to snag the second point in the standings before an announced crowd of 18,326. The Knights are now 13-11-4 for 30 points after 28 games.
With Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury in Quebec to be with his family after Fleury’s father died Wednesday, VGK goalie Malcolm Subban stepped up to backstop the single-goal win. Only two days ago, Subban also picked up a win for the Knights in the VGK’s stunning 4-3 overtime win over the Predators in Nashville.
LVSportsBiz.com stopped by Subban’s locker room stall to hear from the goaltender, who has a perfect shootout record for the Golden Knights. Subban savored Friday’s win especially after he was lifted during an Arizona win over the Golden Knights in Arizona earlier this season.
It was Tuch who deked Arizona goaltender Darcy Kuemper to deposit the game-winner into the goal as the Knights’ third shooter to give the VGK a 2-1 shootout victory. Here’s Tuch after the game.
Knights coach Gerard Gallant looked more upbeat during his postgame comments before the team takes off later for a three-game road trip in metro New York next week with games against the Rangers (Monday), Islanders (Tuesday) and Devils (Thursday).
Earlier in the day, the Golden Knights scored big in their retail stores on “Gold Friday,” when the team staged its annual post-Thanksgiving sale featuring new retail VGK-branded items.
After 15 home dates, the Knights are averaging 18,254 fans a game at T-Mobile Arena and filling the Big Ice House by the Strip to 105.1 percent of capacity, which is second highest in the 31-team NHL.
Gallant said get used to close games and tight division all season long.
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