Coming from Toronto, Mitch Marner is no stranger to scrutiny. And in his first month with the Vegas Golden Knights, he received his fair share of criticism.
Despite recording 14 points in his first 11 games, it took Marner until the end of October to score his first goal in a Golden Knights sweater. After scoring his second two games later, he went another 12 games before scoring another goal.
A month ago, that was an issue. Mark Stone’s absence sank the power play, and the Golden Knights weren’t getting any depth scoring. Back then, no one could put the puck into the back of the net, so Marner’s slow start carried more weight than it should have.
Now, the Golden Knights are getting contributions from up and down the lineup. Their power play is tied for fifth in the league, and the penalty kill sits just outside of the top ten.
It’s no coincidence that the team is heating up as Marner finds his groove.
And, sure, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Marner committed a costly turnover in Anaheim that led to the Ducks’ overtime win. The puck took a bounce off his stick at home against Montreal, leading to a Canadiens goal.
Big whoop.
Every great player has games they’d like to forget. Marner is no different, and that’s okay.
The difference between Vegas and Toronto is that Marner has room for growing pains in Vegas. The Golden Knights have a legitimately deep forward group. If Marner has an off-night, usually, someone else can pick up the slack enough for the team to tread water.
But with Marner coming into his own, the Golden Knights are more than treading water. In their last five games, they’ve recorded nine out of a possible ten points. The New York Islanders snapped a four-game win streak last night, but they still stole a point in a shootout loss. And guess who picked up the primary assist on the game-tying goal?
Bingo.
He had a lane to shoot from the point, and he did, leading to a goal off the rebound. A month ago, he might have looked to make a play. Now, he’s shooting more on the power play, and it’s leading to goals and scoring chances. In their past five games, the Golden Knights scored two power play goals via a Tomáš Hertl tip on Marner’s shot.
Let’s look at the first 29 games of Marner’s Golden Knights tenure.
He has six goals and 23 assists for 29 points in those 29 games. He’s tied for sixth in the league in primary assists with 15. Marner is currently tied for second on the team with 22 points scored at even strength.
And, of course, with Marner, offense isn’t everything. He’s an elite playmaker, but his two-way game is part of what makes him so special. Marner is a fantastic penalty killer and has been on the ice for just two of the 14 goals the Golden Knights have surrendered while down a man. And in 29 games, he’s been on the ice for just 12 goals against at 5-on-5.
Of course, none of that really matters— not when it comes to Mitch Marner. Rightfully or wrongfully so, he left Toronto with a reputation. And until he sheds that label, he’ll be judged by his postseason performance.
But if the past two months have shown us anything, it’s that he’ll be up to the task.
