Flying Fists: 3 Observations as Golden Knights Pummel Kraken

Seattle’s famous Pike Place Fish Market, open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., draws crowds daily for its legendary fish-throwing. When a customer orders a fish, the staff chant the order before a fishmonger heaves it to a worker behind the counter.

Because the Pike Place Fish Market closed nearly two hours before puck drop, no fish flew during the Vegas Golden Knights’ 6-2 win over the Seattle Kraken. Fists, however... well, fists certainly flew.

Usually, when a team beats a division rival so thoroughly, the game devolves into a chippy mess. That certainly was the case tonight.

The game completely went off the rails in the third period, which resulted in two fighting majors and 65 total penalty minutes. But as the intensity and physicality ramped up, the Golden Knights continued to stand up for each other despite being on the right end of such a lopsided score.

“It helps solidify the togetherness of our group,” said head coach Ryan Craig following the 6-2 win. “Sticking together, standing up for each other, that’s just kind of the way the game went there. But good teams do that.”

There was very little to dislike about the Golden Knights’ play during their 6-2 win. They took a few bad penalties– like Marc Gatcomb’s 15 seconds into the first period, and Nic Dowd’s 17 seconds into the second– but their power play stood strong when called upon.

Unfortunately, not everyone escaped unscathed, which started the string of fights toward the end of the game.

At 8:03 in the third period, Ben Myers hit Victor Olofsson right on the numbers and sent him flying face-first into the boards. Olofsson was slow to get up and was then helped off the ice by Jack Eichel and an athletic trainer.

“It’s tough to see Oly going down,” Tomáš Hertl lamented following the game. “Hopefully it’s nothing serious, because he’s had a hell of a start.”

There are no updates on Olofsson’s status at this time.

“He’s getting evaluated now,” said head coach Ryan Craig. “We never want to see anyone leave like that. And Oly’s been off to a great start for us. You can see him shooting the puck in the net, finding ways. That line has been pretty good, and he’s a big part of that. We hope he’s gonna be okay.”

Jack Eichel has never come close to winning the Art Ross Trophy. But after a four-point night, he leads the league in scoring, and his Golden Knights sit atop the Pacific Division.

Eichel is one of the league’s most dynamic playmakers, and he never has trouble racking up points. This year, however, he looks particularly dangerous. Tonight, he became the fastest Golden Knight to 10 points on the season, as well as the 7th fastest player to record 100 multi-point games with one team.

“He’s been great for us,” said Mark Stone following the win. “When he takes charge, he’s hard to stop. Look at some of the plays he made, like his goal. He makes a great defensive play, and once he gets out, no one’s catching him. That kind of put the game on ice going into the third.”

“He’s been dominant since the start of the season,” Rasmus Andersson agreed. “It’s fun to see, and it’s fun to play with him. He’s a world-class player, and we’re lucky we get to see it every night.”

At age 34, there isn’t much left for Mark Stone to achieve. He’s won the Stanley Cup, and he has a few international medals to boot. But in tonight’s 6-2 win over the Kraken, he hit two more career milestones.

Stone scored shorthanded in the first period, giving him 400 points as a Golden Knight. He became the fastest player in franchise history to reach that mark, doing it in just 404 games.

However, it’s Stone’s third-period fight that has everyone talking.

“Stoney stepping up and fighting when we’re up 5-1, and it’s a 5-on-3, it just says a lot about him,” said Rasmus Andersson postgame. “He’s willing to do all the dirty stuff too. He’s a hell of a captain, and a hell of a leader.”

“He’s our leader,” agreed Jack Eichel postgame. “That fires the group up. Tons of credit to Stoney; we love seeing that.”

Stone, looking for retribution after Ben Myers injured Victor Olofsson, challenged Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour at 9:21 in the third period.

“Good job by our Captain,” said head coach Ryan Craig following the 6-2 win. “That’s part of the reason he wears the letter that he wears on his chest. He stepped up to the challenge there and answered the bell, and you can see the reaction from our group.”

After recording an assist in the first period and scoring in the second, that fight gave Stone his first career Gordie Howe hat trick.

“I’m not gonna fight on too many 5-on-3s,” Stone chuckled following the win. “But I just didn’t like some of the things [Montour] said about our team.”