On Tuesday night, the Vegas Golden Knights narrowly defeated the San Jose Sharks 2-1 in a shootout during the preseason.
There’s a common saying that goes, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” In this context, however, it seems more like a young team, the Golden Knights, is struggling to learn how to lose to the Sharks. If one were to interpret this saying literally for the Golden Knights versus the Sharks, it only fits if losing to the Sharks is considered the “new trick,” which the young Knights are still trying to master.
The Sharks fielded a more veteran-laden lineup, featuring players like Jacob Trouba, Dmitry Orlov, Tyler Toffoli, and Alexander Wennberg. They also played rising stars Ivar Stenberg and Michael Misa, the second overall picks from the last two NHL drafts. Despite being underdogs heading into the game, the Golden Knights managed to pull off the win—a feat they’ve repeatedly achieved against the Sharks, even in preseason matchups. While the victory is in a meaningless exhibition game, for the Golden Knights—a team that sent out many young players against a more seasoned Sharks squad—winning still carries significance.
1. A Hard-working Night for the Knights
The Golden Knights chose to keep their veteran players rested for their upcoming home preseason games, so tonight’s roster featured mainly energetic, young players rather than big names. Leading the charge was their top line—Alexander Holtz, Tanner Laczynski, and Jonas Røndbjerg—whose relentless effort set the tone for the game.
This group pushed the pace all evening, forechecking aggressively and making things difficult for San Jose’s defensemen. They created scoring opportunities through cycling and accounted for 11 shots on goal. Their hard work paid off when they finally broke the deadlock: during a shift involving Holtz, Laczynski, and Bowman, the latter along with Holtz prevented the Sharks from clearing the zone. Laczynski then maneuvered the puck around to Adam Ginning, who kept it in at the blue line before passing back to Laczynski, setting up Holtz for a well-placed shot through traffic, putting the Knights ahead.
2. A Goalie Duel from the Start
From the outset, tonight’s game was destined to be a battle between impressive goaltenders. Carter Hart shined in his preseason debut, earning the first star of the game with 28 saves on 29 shots for a remarkable .966 save percentage. The Sharks’ speed created multiple odd-man rushes, but Hart responded with spectacular saves, including crucial stops against second overall pick Michael Misa. The only goal against him came on a power play, after a second attempt.
On the Sharks side, Yaroslav Askarov also delivered an excellent performance, stopping 22 of 23 shots for a .957 save percentage and earning the second star of the game.
3. Piiparinen Makes His Preseason Debut
Juho Piiparinen, the Golden Knights’ first-round pick in this year’s draft, suited up for his preseason debut tonight. The Finnish defenseman, just 18 years old and having celebrated his birthday last month, exhibited a maturity beyond his years. He appeared comfortable on the ice, confidently joining the rush and engaging actively in offensive plays. Piiparinen logged just over 20 minutes, blocked two shots, and recorded a takeaway.
The organization holds high expectations for this year’s 29th overall pick, and tonight’s performance reaffirmed those hopes. Head coach Ryan Craig commented, “He’s come as advertised from what we’ve seen—a great young man with a great skill set.”
Fan Take: This game highlights the promising future of the Golden Knights, especially with young talents like Piiparinen stepping up early. For hockey enthusiasts, it’s exciting to see emerging players proving their mettle and hinting at exciting seasons ahead for the sport.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
