Chapter 1
City Center Arena, Las Vegas, NV
“And there you have it—St. Louis comes out on top with a three-two win over your Las Vegas Desert Coyotes. I’m Jon Lafayette alongside Shawn Hofstadter. Tough one tonight, Shawn.”
“It was, Jon. Fans were hoping for a different Vegas team than the one that fell apart down the stretch last season. They started out strong, but a list of injuries—and Julian Silver’s six-game suspension in March—took them out of the playoff race.”
“In preseason, Coach Murry said this group was healthy, ready to make a run. The team may be healthy but they don’t look strong enough to make that run. Is this still about health, or are we seeing something else?”
“Honestly? A little of both. They start off strong, but by the second period they’re losing momentum—too many turnovers through the neutral zone, not enough bodies in front of the net.
And a lot of that ties back to Silver. Early last season, he was producing two, sometimes three points a night and driving the league’s top penalty kill.
Then came the injury, then the suspension, and the team never recovered. ”
“And that’s the question now. At thirty-four, can Julian Silver still be the guy to carry this team—or was he just a flash in the pan?”