(Christopher Trim-Imagn Images) Hannah Kirkell Fri, October 16, 2026 at 6:46 AM UTC · 6 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Las Vegas, N.V.– It's rare for the first 26 seconds to set the tone for the rest of a hockey game. However, that was certainly the case tonight when the Vegas Golden Knights , a strong contender for the Stanley Cup, hosted the Calgary Flames, a strong contender for the first overall pick in the 2027 NHL Entry Draft.
Somehow, the game felt even more lopsided than the 6-2 final score would suggest. For the most part, it felt like the Golden Knights stopped trying just 9:34 into the first period when Jack Eichel scored shorthanded to put them up 2-0. From then on, they coasted through the game and only appeared to try in short stretches, most of which immediately led to a goal.
The bottom line is this: it's hard to draw any real conclusions from a game like the one the Golden Knights played tonight. They were undeniably the superior team. And when an undeniably superior team takes the lead just 26 seconds into the game, like the Golden Knights did tonight with Brett Howden's third goal of the season, it's not uncommon for them to coast through parts of the remainder of the game.
Maybe you want to see a full 60-minute effort, but the Golden Knights didn't need one. What they needed was a goal 26 seconds into the first period, and then a strong 15 minutes.
"We were ready to play," said Ryan Craig following the 6-2 win . "It was nice to get one early there. Good transition, nice play by Mitch winning a battle on the wall, and hitting Howie. And that's what we've seen with Howie, shooting in stride and playing off that. I thought that got us going. And then the shorthanded goal, obviously, with Jack making a great play and going in and scoring. So, nice to get up in that situation. Give our guys credit for being ready to go."
If you look at the box score, you'd assume that the Golden Knights have a strong power play, as it's ranked ninth in the league. And they don't have a bad power play; they've scored seven goals when up a man, two of which have been game-winners.
That being said, there are times when it looks like the Golden Knights are the team that's down a player. They've allowed two shorthanded goals in back-to-back games, both of which could have been total momentum killers. The underlying reason is the same: for some reason, the Golden Knights struggle to re-enter the zone cleanly after their opponent clears the puck.
"When we win the face off, when we're in the zone, we're really dialed in," said Golden Knights captain Mark Stone. "I think we're maybe a little out of sync on the break-ins. You look at the power plays we had tonight, when we get possession in their end and move the puck around, we had some really good chances. For whatever reason, our entries need to be cleaned up a little bit. We'll keep working at it."
These zone entry issues are a big part of why Ryan Craig deployed his top unit in game that they were leading 5-1.
"The top unit scored," said Craig. "They scored the 6th goal. I thought it was important that they went back out and continue to work at it, and that's why they went back out. They scored on a real good entry, which is what's kept us off there. I thought we've got some good looks when we've won some face offs with that unit… It's maybe been our entries that have held us up a little bit.
"But again, that goal for Mark's hat trick is a real good entry," Craig finished. "We'll try to build off that."
The Golden Knights' big guns undeniably stole the spotlight tonight. Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, and Ivan Barbashev each enjoyed three-point nights, and Mitch Marner provided two assists. But an underlying theme in all their wins so far this season is that their depth players consistently pitch in offensively.
"If you can have your top guys playing 16 to 18 minutes a night and rolling over lines, that's the formula for us," said Mark Stone postgame. "Whether it's in October and November, or March and April, it's a good thing to have four lines that are ticking and putting them over the boards and going to work."
The Flames scored their first goal of the night shorthanded at 10:15 in the second period, cutting the Golden Knights' lead to one. The Flames are bottom-three in goals for, but that moment could have changed the game and sparked a comeback.
Instead, the Golden Knights sent out the second power play unit, and Braeden Bowman cashed in to restore the two-goal lead just 48 seconds later.
"That was resilience," said head coach Ryan Craig. "We talk about those kinds of reset shifts all the time. That was one from the second unit, going out there and getting the job done. It was a big moment in the game as they kind of grabbed momentum with the shorthanded goal. Good on that unit for going out and finding a way to get us back the two-goal lead."
"Everybody's stepping up on our team," Ivan Barbashev agreed.
Mark Stone is the pinnacle of consistency. He's the Golden Knights' emotional leader. He delivers for his team in the biggest moments. You can also always find him around the opponent's net. Stone scored three third-period goals tonight— a natural hat trick— two of which were back-door tap-ins.
Stone is a bit of a funny player. He's scored 265 goals in his NHL career, many of them from that same area: around the net. Teams know where he's going to go. They just can't stop him.
Golden Knights head coach Ryan Craig said it best:
"I'm happy we don't have to gameplan for Mark Stone," Craig laughed after Thursday's 6-2 win over the Calgary Flames. "I'm happy he's on our side."
Stone isn't the fastest skater, and he's not the most talented player. But he's among the smartest players in the league, and there's a case to be made that he is the smartest. He's always in the right place at the right time, and on both sides of the puck.
"He's smart enough to find the right areas, and I think that goes to his hockey IQ," continued Ryan Craig. "We've seen it here, time and time again, since he's gotten to our organization. He finds ways to get to the right spot. He finds ways to impact the game by being in the right areas, both defensively and offensively.
"Plus, he's the leader," Craig finished. "He was on the bench tonight pulling our team along. Like I said, I'm happy we gameplan with him, and not against him."
Source: Sports
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