3 unsung heroes from Vegas' 4-1 start
The Vegas Golden Knights' scorching-hot start is the most surprising storyline of the NHL season thus far. And while Marc-Andre Fleury and James Neal have deservedly drawn most of the attention, the following three players have been integral to the team's 4-1 record.
Nate SchmidtEven with Neal's six goals, Schmidt has arguably been the Golden Knights' most complete player. Going from being the sixth/seventh defenseman in Washington to the No. 1 in Vegas has brought out the best in the smooth-skating blue-liner.
Heading into the Golden Knights' tilt with the Bruins, Schmidt led all Vegas players in ice time, and then went on to play a team-high 22:39 in their 3-1 victory Sunday night.
In five games, Schmidt has one goal, two assists, a plus-2 rating, nine shots, 11 blocked shots, three takeaways, and just one giveaway.
Luca Sbisa
While Schmidt has been sensational, so has his defense partner, Sbisa. The former first-round pick has played nearly 500 NHL games, but seems to finally be coming into his own now at 27 years old.
Sbisa ranks second on the Knights in ice time and has collected three points with a plus-2 rating. While Schmidt is the more offensive player, Sbisa has brought a physical presence, dishing out a team-high 13 hits.
As a duo, Schmidt and Sbisa had the 18th-best Corsi For percentage and the sixth-best penalty differential (at five-on-five) among all NHL defense pairings heading into Sunday night, per Corsica.
David Perron
While Neal has been scoring all of Vegas' goals, his linemate Perron has been setting him up; the latter has three assists, with two of them being primary helpers, per Natural Stat Trick.
Here's a look at some of Perron's handiwork:
Vegas' knight in shining armor, @jneal_18, does it again. #NHLFaceOff pic.twitter.com/3A8BOjRZUM
- NHL (@NHL) October 8, 2017
The pass below might be his best of the season.
While Perron has been quite the dishmaster thus far, he's also third on the team in shots, meaning goals could be just around the corner.
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