Golden Knights report card: Mediocre grades reflect play

The Golden Knights this season are like a sports car in constant need of repairs.

They looked great driving off the lot. Then a tire got loose. A tail light busted. The breaks started sticking.

For a myriad of reasons — such as lengthy injuries to captain Mark Stone, left wing Max Pacioretty, defenseman Alec Martinez and many others — the Knights have never been able to hit the open road at peak efficiency.

That’s what makes evaluating them so difficult.

The Knights may still be the Stanley Cup contender they were projected to be before the season and just had a run of bad fortune. Or maybe their decent but not exciting results — they are 13th in the NHL in goal differential (plus-16) and 16th in points percentage (.589) — have revealed issues under the hood.

That’s something general manager Kelly McCrimmon and president of hockey operations George McPhee will have to grapple with before the trade deadline March 21. Before then, here’s a look at how the Knights have fared through two-thirds of the season:

Forwards

Listed by points

Center Chandler Stephenson — He’s set a career high with 42 points and counting. He has four in his last 13 games, in part due to a brief move to right wing.

Left wing Jonathan Marchessault — The first-time All Star leads the Knights in goals with 22. Few guys can match the consistency he brings.

Right wing Reilly Smith — He, like his linemate Marchessault, has been one of the team’s most reliable players. His scoring is up to 0.68 points per game compared to 0.47 last year.

Right wing Mark Stone — Back issues keep forcing him out of the lineup. When he’s been able to play, he’s still arguably the Knights’ best skater.

Left wing Max Pacioretty — He leads the team in goals (0.6) and points (1.08) per game. He’s only been available for 25 games, however, because of various injuries.

Center Nicolas Roy — He’s set a career high in goals (10) and points (25). He broke out of a 15-game goal drought by scoring twice Friday against Anaheim.

Right/left wing Evgenii Dadonov — The offseason trade acquisition has yet to click with the Knights. He hasn’t provided the offensive impact at five-on-five or on the power play he did in Florida from 2017-20.

Center William Karlsson — His points per game (0.51) and shooting percentage (9.2) are the lowest they’ve been with the Knights. He did miss 15 games with a broken foot.

Center Brett Howden — The bottom-six mainstay has been a savvy pickup by the front office. He’s third on the team in five-on-five points per 60 minutes at 2.3, behind only Stone and Pacioretty.

Right wing Keegan Kolesar — His game has taken clear strides since his rookie season. His ice time is up nearly four minutes per game to 13:15 as a result.

Left wing Mattias Janmark — He had a tough start because of an early COVID-19 case. He was slumping again with no goals and three assists in 15 games before suffering an upper-body injury.

Left wing William Carrier — He’s having a real nice season. He’s plus-8 at five-on-five, tied for the second-best mark on the Knights, and scoring a career-best 0.33 points per game.

Right wing Michael Amadio — He played well enough after getting picked up off waivers to earn a two-year extension Jan. 30. He recorded his first career three-point game Friday.

Center/right wing Nolan Patrick — Injuries keep holding him back even when he shows flashes of promise. He’s played only 18 of 56 games.

Left/right wing Jonas Rondbjerg — The rookie has done a nice job hopping on the fourth line when called upon. He’s back in the NHL looking to improve on his previous stints.

Center Jack Eichel — The big-ticket trade acquisition is adjusting to his new teammates and the Knights style of play. He has five points in eight games while getting his feet wet.

Center Jake Leschyshyn — Like Rondbjerg, he’s helped plugged holes when they’ve arisen because of injuries as a rookie. He played with the Knights on Friday for the first time since Jan. 11.

Grade: Three out of five sticks

The Knights have gotten strong performances from some of their top-of-the-lineup players (Stone, Pacioretty, Marchessault) and some of their fourth-line guys (Howden, Kolesar, Carrier). What they’re missing is a little more punch in the middle.

No one is having an Alex Tuch-like impact on the third line like last year. The Knights have to hope guys like Karlsson and Dadonov start rolling down the stretch.

Defensemen

Listed by points

Shea Theodore — He’s 15th among defensemen in scoring (36 points) and 11th in even-strength points (26). He’s well on his way to another strong season.

Alex Pietrangelo — He’s done a lot of heavy lifting on the back end because of all the Knights’ injuries. It resulted in his third All-Star Game appearance in February.

Nic Hague — The 23-year-old has logged heavier minutes much of the season with the blue line shorthanded. He’s had growing pains, but is still plus-five at five-on-five.

Zach Whitecloud — His six-year extension in October was well-deserved because he’s having an excellent season. He is a team-best plus-11 at five-on-five and has set career highs in goals (six) and points (14).

Dylan Coghlan — He’s looked improved as a sophomore, which has allowed the Knights to play through injuries without much of a drop off. He’s being sheltered less than last season.

Brayden McNabb — His steady play led to a three-year extension on Jan. 30. He leads the NHL in blocked shots (138) and his open-ice hits in the neutral zone keep attackers’ heads on a swivel.

Ben Hutton — He’s done well for a player who was still available in October. He’s been elevated to the first pair at times because he’s been solid in so many areas.

Alec Martinez — He still hasn’t played since suffering a facial laceration Nov. 11. He’s been a full participant in practices in January, but it’s unclear when he’ll appear in a game again.

Grade: Three out of five pucks

Theodore and Pietrangelo have been good. Whitecloud and McNabb have been excellent in their roles. The absence of Martinez — a tough-minded veteran leader who plays in all situations — seems to loom large for this group.

He was the perfect puzzle piece for the blue line when he was added in 2020. The impact of him not playing touches so many different areas.

Goaltenders

Listed by starts

Robin Lehner — He ranks 17th out of 109 goalies in goals saved above expected, according to the website MoneyPuck.com. He’s also improved one of his weaknesses: Shootouts. He’s 3-1 after starting his career 10-25.

Laurent Brossoit — He hasn’t been great his first season with the Knights, but he’s given the team a chance to win most of his starts. He’s 35th in goals saved above expected after allowing four goals on 24 shots in Anaheim on Friday.

Logan Thompson — He’s made two starts and is 1-1 with a .935 save percentage and 2.07 goals-against average. Having that kind of No. 3 goalie is a luxury for the Knights.

Grade: Three out of five nets

The Knights aren’t going to repeat as the winner of the Jennings Trophy. Their goaltending also hasn’t done anything to hold the team back. At times it’s made up for depleted lineups. The key the rest of the season is keeping Lehner — who returned Tuesday from an upper-body injury — healthy.

Special teams

Power play — It’s ranked 22nd in the NHL (17.6 percent) and has two goals in 35 opportunities in the Knights’ last 15 games. The units haven’t had a lot of consistency and is an area of concern.

Penalty kill — The team has turned its PK around lately. The Knights are tied for 16th overall on the penalty kill (79.5 percent), but rank ninth since Jan. 1 (83.6 percent).

Grade: Three out of five penalty boxes

The Knights’ penalty kill has been strong under coach Pete DeBoer, so its return to form is encouraging. The power play, on the other hand, hasn’t offered much hope after playing a key role in the team’s exit last postseason.

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.