ST. PAUL
http://www.floridapanthersteamshops.com/authentic-vincent-trocheck-jersey , Minn. (AP) — Fresh off last season’s loss in the Stanley Cup final, the Vegas
Golden Knights reloaded for another run by remaking their second line.A newcomer
and a holdover showed Saturday how explosive the second unit can be for
Vegas.Erik Haula scored in the shootout and the Golden Knights rallied to a 2-1
victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night.Max Pacioretty, who was
acquired from Montreal in an offseason trade, scored his first goal for Vegas,
which has used Pacioretty and Haula on opposite sides of new center Paul Stastny
in the season’s first two games.“He’s a great player and he played a real good
game tonight,” Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant said of Pacioretty. “That
line was excellent and that’s a big goal for us at a key time.”Pacioretty
snapped home a one-timer in the slot from Jonathan Marchessault with 1:31 left
in regulation to tie the game as Gallant pulled goaltender Marc Andre-Fleury.“I
really thought in the third period when we played our best, that we were
blocking shots and doing what we had to do,” Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau
said. “But they were pressing. They come at you all the time, that’s why they
won the West.”Fleury made 29 saves for Vegas, bouncing back after being pulled
in the opening 5-2 loss at home to the Philadelphia Flyers. Fleury was pulled
after 30:11 against Philadelphia after allowing five goals on 16 shots.Matt
Dumba scored for the Wild, who was the only team in the Western Conference to
sweep Vegas last season. Minnesota goaltender Devan Dubnyk stopped 41 of the 42
shots he faced.“He was fantastic,” Wild forward Jason Zucker said of Dubnyk.
“He’s the only reason that we didn’t lose that game 10-nothing.”Haula scored the
only goal in the shootout against his former team as his shot between Dubnyk’s
legs ended up trickling in after Dubnyk appeared to make the stop.“We just stuck
with it, made a great play there on Max’s goal and we had a lot of chances,”
Haula said. “Duby played well over there and made it hard on us, but overall I’m
just happy with our game. It’s a good indicator to jump back in a tough
building, tough environment and just play like that, it’s a good job by the
guys.”Dumba, signed to five-year, $30 million contract in the
offseason
Adrian Kempe Jersey , scored on a slap shot from the blue line midway through the first period. Dubnyk held up against a Vegas’ attack that outshot Minnesota
42-30 through overtime.“It’s nice to feel good out of the gate,” Dubnyk said.
“It’d be nice to have two wins, obviously. It’s tough to feel too good about it.
But we just try to work on those things that make you feel good and I’m feeling
pretty good in there now, so we’ll have a good week.”The Wild lost for the first
time in the first home game of the season at the Xcel Energy Center after
starting 14-0-3 in such games.NOTES: Minnesota went 27-6-8 at home last season,
finishing second in the NHL in home points. … The New York Islanders were the
only other team to sweep Vegas last season, winning a pair of games. … Wild F
Luke Kunin has been cleared for contact in his return from knee surgery. Kunin
has been skating with the team. … Golden Knights rookie D Jake Bischoff made the
NHL team for the first time in his career, but the Minnesota native was
scratched for the second straight game along with D Brad Hunt. … The Wild
scratched F J.T. Brown and D Nate Prosser for the second time in two games.UP
NEXTGolden Knights: Season-long, five-game road trip continues Monday at
Buffalo.Wild: Host Chicago on Thursday. DALLAS (AP) Liam Kirk was on the other
side of the Atlantic Ocean, about 4,600 miles away from Dallas, on Saturday when
he became the first player born and trained in England to be selected in the NHL
draft.Early in the seventh and final round of the draft, the Arizona Coyotes
took the 18-year-old Kirk with the 189th overall pick .”To finally see my name
on the board was just incredible,” Kirk said by phone from England. ”And to get
a call from the GM was even better, just to know that’s the place I’m going. And
that’s what I’m aiming to be, and to play my NHL career.”The 6-foot, 161-pound
Kirk played this season for Sheffield Steelers in the Elite Ice Hockey League,
the highest level of competition in the United Kingdom, and for a team where the
average age is 28. He had nine goals and seven assists in 52 games for the
Steelers in his second season with the team.Even though cricket and soccer are
much more popular sports in England, Kirk already was dreaming about playing for
Sheffield when he was only about 6 years old and going to Steelers games with
his parents and older brother. He started to learn about the NHL within a couple
of years.Tim Bernhardt
http://www.kingsproshop.com/authentic-alex-iafallo-jersey , Arizona’s director of amateur scouting, said NHL Central Scouting identified
Kirk. The Coyotes then sent one of their scouts in Europe to see him, and more
followed.”He’s a thin kid, needs a lot of physical development, but they said
he’s got a good idea of the game, and his natural skills were very good,”
Bernhardt said.Born in Rotherham, Kirk this year became the first player born
and trained in England to attend the NHL’s pre-draft scouting combine in
Buffalo. Now he is the first to be drafted, and he wants to be the first to play
in the NHL.”I just want to prove myself, and prove I can play,” said Kirk, who
will soon move to North America to start playing here.The Coyotes were among the
teams that met with Kirk at the combine, and he knew there was a chance that
they would take him. But he didn’t know for sure while watching the draft with
his family.His name finally got called Saturday night in England, six hours
ahead of Dallas time, where it was early afternoon when he got picked.”He wants
to be here. He’s coming over here to play now,” Bernhardt said. ”He’s played in
the men’s league. It’s hard for him to find a spot to play because he’s too good
for the juniors. … You’re not going to find that kind of skill in the seventh
round, so let’s go for it and see where we can get it to.”—
