No 56-0 Season For Golden Knights; Arizona Defeats VGK, 5-2, In Glendale, AZ As VGK Fans Make Trek Friday

By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com

Hungry to see the Vegas Golden Knights in action in person, the faithful boarded jets and navigated cars down to Glendale, Arizona, where the VGK lost their first game of the young, shortened 56-game season to the Arizona Coyotes, 5-2, in Vegas’ first road game.

The Golden Knights’ home ice is off-limits to the VGK fans because of the novel coronavirus restrictions here in the metro Las Vegas and Clark County area. Tonight’s game was the first NHL contest that the Golden Knights played before fans in an arena since COVID-19 shut down the NHL season in mid-March 2020.

So, VGK fans spent hundreds of dollars on tickets and travel to see the third game in a row between the Knights and Coyotes. The AT&T SportsNet TV crew broadcasting the VGK-AZ game found lots of gold-clad fans among the maximum number of 2,600 at 17,125-seat Gila River Arena.

LVSportsBiz.com contacted VGK fans at Gila River Arena to find out the scene there.

“We are sitting in a suite with 6 people maximum. Strict Covid precautions are in place,” said Golden Knights superfan Jason Griego, the “Wolverine” character at VGK home games at T-Mobile Arena and founder of the Vegas Veterans Hockey Foundation. “All fans are wearing masks unless actively eating or drinking. I think the NHL is doing a great job with allowing play and fan participation.”

It was probably 65% VGK fans. We were louder after our goals than they were after theirs. The “Go Knights Go” chant was pretty loud a few times. The “Knights” during the anthem was really loud and some players smiled. Obviously it was a different experience. And it wasn’t like a “normal” game — even by lousy Arizona standards. But it was great to be in public with other Knights fans, see some familiar folks and be around a bunch of other people wearing VGK gear. That sense of community has been one of the real victims of the pandemic and it was nice to have a small taste of it again — even if it was just for a couple hours and we had to drive 5 hours to feel it. — VGK fan Sarah Johnson

The Knights ran out 13 forwards and five defensemen, with Robin Lehner in goal as coach Pete DeBoer continued the every-other-game rotation of Lehner and fan favorite Marc-Andre Fleury.

DeBoer referred to the Golden Knights fans who made the road trip: “Disappointed we didn’t find a way to win for them. What a commitment, traveling here during what’s going on and coming to see us. You can hear them in the crowd.”

Only three of the league’s 31 teams allow fans in their arenas during a pandemic that has killed more than 400,000 Americans — Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers and the Arizona franchise.

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After the Knights entered the second period trailing, 1-0, VGK defenseman ripped a wicked wrister from the right side to the top shelf to knot the game at one.

It was Theodore’s third goal of the season. He scored two goals just two days ago when the Knights defeated the Coyotes, 5-2, at T-Mobile Arena.

Golden Knights fans in the building roared with approval when Theodore scored.

But Arizona took the lead when a transition break and a slapshot beat Lehner and the Coyotes regained the lead, 2-1.

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After the Coyotes’ Derick Brassard blasted the slapper by Lehner in the second period to give Arizona a 2-1 lead, the Desert Dogs’ Nick Schmaltz notched a goal with some clever timing to the right of Lehner to extend the lead to 3-1.

And Arizona’s Conor Garland made it, 4-1, Coyotes with a nice backhander by Lehner early in period three.

VGK forward Cody Glass scored to cut the lead to 4-2 before Arizona added an open-net tally to salt away the victory. Arizona netminder Darcy Kuemper made 29 of 31 saves on home ice. The Knights and Coyotes play again Sunday afternoon.

“I felt like they played a great defensive game and we didn’t execute well,” Theodore said. “We could be a lot better defensively, especially in our transitions, and they took it to us tonight.”

He also said his players heard the Knights fans in the house: “They’re always loud, and that’s why they’re the best fan base in the league.”

Though the Knights lost, fans did enjoy themselves. Griego told LVSportsBiz.com during the game that the Coyotes were ready for VGK fans to scream, “Knight,” during the national anthem:

Here was the box score for the VGK-AZ game.

On the Henderson Silver Knights front, the VGK minor league team starts a 40-game schedule at Orleans Arena Feb. 6. Check out the American Hockey League Silver Knights schedule for the first two months.