Los Angeles vs Vegas: Injury weakened Knights won’t score points

Vegas have already played their first game of the new season, beating league debutant Seattle Kraken on their home ice. Peter DeBoer’s team will now visit Staples Centre to face the legendary Los Angeles Kings. Will the Golden Knights pick up their second win?

The Kings have been trying to form a competitive roster for a year now. But every season, it seems to get worse. Since a victorious 2014, LAK have only made the playoffs twice and been eliminated in the first round. And this season, if the Kings don’t get anything going again, it could be the 4th in a row without a postseason.

The whole problem is that the payroll is overloaded with huge veteran contracts. Only Kopitar and Doughty are left now, but they take up barely a third of the salary’s total between the two of them. Before the new championship, the Kings signed Nashville forward Victor Arvidson but had to give up Tyler Toffoli in the middle of the previous championship. Also, they got an experienced defender from Vancouver, Alexander Edler, and for this, they had to give Alec Martinez away earlier to Vegas. Just like that, the Kings have been making a roundabout change all season long.

For two seasons in a row, Vegas have been winless in the conference finals. Last season’s playoffs against Montreal, the year before against Dallas. That said, the franchise continues to insist on their own, and the team enters the new championship again with Peter DeBoer as a coach. The outcome seems to be known in advance.

Marc-André Fleury has left the team. The Vegas goal guard’s replacement appears to be Robin Lehner. At least the German was in the starting lineup in the opener against Seattle. Twenty-eight shots were saved, and just over 90% of his saves aren’t too bad. But three missed shots almost cost the Golden Knights the win. Still 4-3, thanks to a Max Pacioretty double and three assists by Mark Stone.

The second Vegas goalie for the season, by the way, has been announced by Winnipeg’s Laurent Brossoit. All in all, the Golden Knights goaltender pairing is Lehner and Brossoit. Are the Knights sure they want to contend for the Stanley Cup?

Vegas beat Seattle solely on the strength of a phenomenal game played by scoring players. But that kind of thing isn’t going to happen every game. Injuries have weakened the depth of the Golden Knights’ lineup, so Los Angeles will have a chance to finish what the Kraken failed to do - take points away from Peter DeBoer’s team.

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