Gerard Gallant is 101-60-14 as head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, a staggering win percentage no one could have anticipated three years ago when the team entered the NHL as an expansion franchise.
The team’s success is no fluke, though, as it boasts one of the more well-rounded rosters in the league and one conducive to Gallant’s coaching style.
“The group of guys we had from day one right until now, I love the way we play, I love our team,” Gallant said Thursday during an appearance on Hockey Central at Noon. “The guys come to the rink every day and compete and battle hard. We always talk about it — we’ve got more skill this year than we’ve ever had but we gotta make sure we’re still working hard and playing the game the right way and when you’re doing that you know you got a real good team. I like our group. I really do.”
Heading into Thursday’s slate of games, the Golden Knights sat second in the Pacific Division behind the Edmonton Oilers. A major reason for this has been the strong play of Marc-Andre Fleury whose seven wins lead all netminders and his .937 save percentage and 2.04 goals-against average both rank fourth among netminders with at least five appearances.
“Our goalie’s our best player. Marc-Andre Fleury’s been outstanding,” said Gallant, who also referred to Fleury as the undeniable face of the franchise. “He’s been unbelievable so far. I know our game is going to get a little bit better. We played pretty good in Chicago the other night, so we’re coming around, but Fleury’s been a huge part of us being 7-4.”
Apart from leading the league in penalty minutes and being subpar in the faceoff circle (winning only 48.1 per cent of draws), Vegas is at or near the top of the league in many areas.
The team’s 90.9-per cent penalty kill efficiency ranks first in the league. They also rank first in takeaways by a wide margin, second in hits, seventh in blocked shots, and are 5-1 when leading after the first period.
Another reason Vegas is such a tough matchup for teams is the fact Gallant has the luxury of being able to send out his top two forward lines in any situation because they’re so responsible defensively.
Mark Stone finished second in Selke Trophy voting as the NHL’s top defensive forward one season ago and the winger has continued his elite two-way play on a line with Max Pacioretty and Paul Stastny.
“He’s a two-way player who’s one of the best in the league, if not the best, and I love putting him out on the ice and he plays with Stastny and Pacioretty a lot so that’s a real good line to put out against anybody,” Gallant explained before giving similar credit to the line featuring William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith.
“I feel real, real comfortable with the Karlsson line playing against anybody,” Gallant added. “Whether they’re playing against the best line, I know they do a real good job at both ends of the rink, so it’s something a coach really feels good about when you can throw those guys on the ice and you don’t have to worry about matchups.”
Gallant also said he feels Smith is among the more under-appreciated players on his roster.
“For three years, since he’s been here with our organization, he plays the game the same way every game in and game out,” Gallant said of Smith. “He quietly scores 20-25 goals a year when he has a full season, kills penalties, does everything for our team, just a quiet leader and real good character kid.”
Oh, and just because the Golden Knights are a skilled squad, that doesn’t mean they’re at risk of being bullied out there thanks in large part to the league’s top enforcer.
“When we got him in the trade, I didn’t know much about Reavo,” Gallant said of Ryan Reaves. “I knew he was one of the toughest guys in the NHL, but he comes to the rink every day, he has fun, he works hard, he’s made himself a better hockey player and as a coach I have no fear putting Ryan Reaves on the ice. … He does his job perfectly for me.”
Vegas concluded a three-game road trip with a 2-1 come-from-behind shootout victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. Gallant’s group returns to the ice Saturday at T-Mobile Arena against the Colorado Avalanche.
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