FSM Essential Preview: Golden Knights vs Ducks- Game 11

Since having their season postponed for a week and half due to covid protocol, the Vegas Golden Knights have shown no signs of slowing down in terms of on ice performance.

Vegas‘ hot start since resuming play was threatened on Tuesday night as it was disclosed that VGK would not have any postgame availability. Immediately fans and reporters alike took to social media to express their concerns that the cancellation was due to a possible covid case. It turns out that those fears were accurate as it was announced on Wednesday that Tomas Nosek had tested positive. This explains why he had been pulled from Tuesday night’s game in an abrupt manner and did not return to the ice.

This is a very alarming situation as Nosek obviously had contact with players on both teams, so the fear of a possible outbreak is warranted. We can only hope at this point that Tomas makes a full and speedy recovery and that no players or coaches on either team were affected. The NHL has already postponed 34 total games so far this season, with twenty-five of those coming in the month of February alone. It is impossible not to think of the possibility of another season being cut short due to cancellation or being postponed. It seems that even with daily tests and protocols being in place there’s no foolproof way to prevent cases from happening. My guess is that if these situations continue to happen both the NHL and NHLPA will have to meet and discuss their plans going forward.

At the time of writing, the NHL has not decided to cancel tonight’s game against the Ducks and has stated that both teams and their staffs will undergo rapid PCR point of care tests before the game.

On a positive note, Alex Pietrangelo is no longer on the COVID protocol list and is expected to play tonight if all goes according to plan. He has missed the last three games and while Vegas has done just fine without him, a player of his talent level is always a welcome addition to the lineup. Gaining back that veteran presence in the back end should help eliminate some of the turnovers that led to Anaheim’s late-game surge which could have cost the Knights the game. The Ducks were credited with 15 takeaways, which is way too many for comfort and is something that coach DeBoer will want to address before tonight’s game.

The Knights will want to take advantage of their following games against the Ducks and then the Sharks on Saturday as their competition will undoubtedly get tougher next week.

Starting on Sunday afternoon, VGK will be taking on the Colorado Avalanche for four straight games after not playing them so far this season. While no team should ever be overlooked, especially after Tuesday’s game. I’ll go out on a limb and say that the Avalanche may possibly be the most talented team they will have faced so far. Look for the Knights to clean up the play on their own end while continuing to improve their overall game.

On a side note, I’m definitely a fan of the reverse retro jersey and prefer it over the gold jerseys that Vegas has worn a few times this season. The red really pops out on the ice and looks great overall, now if they can get approved to wear the chrome buckets like the Henderson Silver Knights, I would not mind that either. If you don’t know what I’m talking do yourself a favor and check them out above!

The Vegas Golden Knights will resume play Thursday Night taking on the Anaheim Ducks at T-Mobile Arena. The puck drop is set for 7 p.m. and will be on AT&T SportsNet and FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340.

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-D.J. Wood– Franchise Sports Media

Follow D.J. on Twitter @DJwoody97

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