Anleitungen » LAS VEGAS (AP) — Gerard Gallant insisted

over the first two months of the season that the Vegas Golden Knights would be fine once they found their rhythm and re-established the type of chemistry that led them to the Stanley Cup Final last season.Apparently Colorado Avalanche T-Shirts Authentic , Gallant knew what he was talking about.Vegas has won a season-high four straight after trouncing the Blackhawks 8-3 on Tuesday night. The Golden Knights (13-12-1) are right back in the playoff race after sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference less than two weeks ago.“It was a tough start and we were battling through it,” Gallant said this week. “We had a terrific year last year. We had a short summer because we went to the Stanley Cup Final and … most of the time your team falls back a little bit. You’ve got to have patience with your team.”Patience is something center Jonathan Marchessault said the 53-year-old soft-spoken coach has always had, from their time together in Florida and now in Las Vegas. Marchessault said Gallant’s top priority always has been to assure his players he has faith in them.“That’s the culture he wants to bring; it’s kind of hard to believe, but he did stay the same,” Marchessault said. “A lot of guys in his position, I think, would have been more impatient with the team, but he stuck with what he believes and right now we’re having a good stretch. He knew it was just a matter of time that we get started. And right now, we’re playing some good hockey.”Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has won his last five starts. After ranking near the bottom of the league with its offensive production, Vegas has won five of six by outscoring its opponents 25-8 in the victories.The emergence of Alex Tuch, Cody Eakin and newcomer Max Pacioretty on the second line has bolstered the team’s offense. The biggest surprise has been Eakin, who had two goals and an assist in the victory over the Blackhawks.Eakin has 10 goals and six assists in 23 games after he had 11 goals and 16 assists all of last season. The eighth-year pro said Gallant’s approach has helped his confidence Colorado Avalanche Hoodies Authentic , which is why he has been able to take advantage of his time on the second line while Erik Haula recovers from a lower-body injury.“It’s important when you’re going through a tough little start to let the players kind of figure it out themselves instead of overcoaching,” Eakin said. “It comes from the top, getting those opportunities and just taking it and skating with it. You have to just be confident in yourself to do it. When things are going good you want to kind of ride the wave.”Gallant said the Knights have found the rhythm he was looking for since the start of the season, when they opened up with five of their first six and 11 of 18 on the road.Most importantly, he said, is how well the Knights have played against the Pacific Division. Vegas has the best record among all eight teams, going 6-1-1 thus far, including Fleury’s back-to-back shutout wins over Calgary and San Jose last weekend.“You look at our division, I don’t think it’s got off to a great start in our whole division, but I think there’s a lot of good teams there and I compare our team to the other teams and if we play the way we played this weekend, we’re right there,” Gallant said. Nathan MacKinnon was a legitimate MVP candidate last spring but finished second to Taylor Hall of the New Jersey Devils in the voting.Had he gotten off to a faster start in 2017-18 Colorado Avalanche Hats Authentic , the Colorado Avalanche center might have won the Hart Trophy over Hall.He won’t have to worry about a slow start to this season hurting his chances. After scoring just one goal in his first 10 games last year, MacKinnon has five goals in the first four games this year. He scored two in Colorado’s 6-1 win at Buffalo on Thursday night, and he hopes to keep the momentum going when the Avalanche host the Calgary Flames on Saturday night.Article continues below ...It took MacKinnon 15 games last year to get his fifth goal and he still finished with a career-high 39. After putting in a lot of work in the offseason, 39 goals looks like a low number or MacKinnon.“It’s always nice to get off to a good start,” he told reporters after Thursday’s win. “It takes some pressure off you, for sure. You get a few on the board quick and early. Last year wasn’t a great start for me, but I got going. Hopefully, I can continue this momentum for the whole season.”The Avalanche (3-1) hope their fast start overall can continue and prove the loss in Columbus was a blip. They responded with a big win over the Sabres, now they have one home game before heading back on the road for four more.Colorado, which assigned center Sheldon Dries to the AHL on Friday, is getting contributions from all four lines and the defense, which has translated into 17 goals in the first four games.Calgary (2-2) is coming of a 5-3 loss at St. Louis on Thursday night. The Flames took a 1-0 lead on a goal by free-agent signee James Neal but then the Blues scored three straight Custom Colorado Avalanche Jerseys , including one 12 seconds after Neal.There was a scary moment when Calgary superstar Johnny Gaudreau took a big hit from St. Louis forward Alex Steen after Gaudreau grabbed Brayden Schenn. He came up wincing but said he was fine.“The slash was a little more than the hit, but I’m alright,” Gaudreau told sportsnet.ca after the game. “(Schenn) got me in the hand there. I kind of looked down and the guy stepped up and hit me.”Gaudreau is a lithe 165 pounds and one of the faster players in the league. He has taken a couple of hits this season, which is worrisome, but Gaudreau shrugged them off.“In Nashville the guy poked my skate out and I probably would have avoided the hit if I didn’t get my skate poked out, and tonight I looked down at my finger when I got slashed and didn’t see the guy step up on me,” he told sportsnet.ca. “Both probably would have been avoided if those two plays didn’t happen before the hit.”Colorado fans would rather have the dynamic Gaudreau on the ice, as long as the Avalanche win. With the way MacKinnon is playing they have a good chance, even with Gaudreau in the lineup.