The Las Vegas Golden Knights started the season with a seven-game win streak that had fans dreaming of a second straight title. Fast forward a few weeks, however, and the team is struggling to hold its place. They have also taken quite a few disappointing losses that raise many questions.
The Golden Knights have been outscored 11-15 in their last five games and are losing ground in the standings. Two of these matchups were shutout losses, where the Golden Knights lost to the Coyotes and Penguins.
Here’s where we see trouble.
Ugly losses
These losses are hurt and might lead to a midseason implosion if things aren’t fixed. For example, the Golden Knights have 30 points and sit atop the Pacific division standings. Las Vegas did have a two or three-point advantage, but that’s gone.
Other stats starting to slip are their points for and against numbers. Those numbers show how good Las Vegas is doing against other teams. Unfortunately, The Golden Knights have only 69 goals for and 50 goals against. That doesn’t sound so bad until you compare it to others in the league.
The Kings and Canucks are both behind Las Vegas in the standings but have better offenses. In fact, the Kings have scored 76 goals and only allowed 47. Then there’s the Canucks, who have 88 GF and 56 GA., which is also better.
A crumbling defense
Things get even worse when you consider the lackluster defense the Golden Knights are showing. The 4-1 loss on November 5 against the Ducks seems to be where this came into focus and really bit Las Vegas in the ass.
Thompson allowed three of the four goals that evening, while Hill allowed the final one. Las Vegas took more shots at the opposing goalie, but only Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev scored goals. Las Vegas took another loss in a 4-1 showing against the Kings a few nights later. Adin Hill started the game as the goalie and allowed 3 of 32 shots to get past him.
The Knights also took a 3-0 loss against the Capitals, making things worse. Looking deeper, it is essential to note that three of their losses are from shutouts. Another interesting stat is that they have been outscored by 20 points in their six losses this season. That’s an average of 3.3 goals per game, chipping away at Hill’s 1.97 GAA.
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Lackluster stats
The worst numbers come when you look at each player’s stats. This is where you see just how ineffective Las Vegas is and where they are hurting the most. These are the things that Bruce Cassidy needs to look at if they want a chance of rebounding.
The first problem is that many key players have negative +/- scores. That signifies that The Golden Knights keep getting scored against and aren’t able to return fire. For example, Mark Stone, Chandler Stephenson, Paul Cotter, Nicholas Hague, and Zach Whitecloud all have negative numbers.
Others who aren’t doing great are Jack Eichel, Alex Pietrangelo, Alec Martinez, and Shea Theodore, who all have low scores. Between these numbers and the penalty minutes, the Golden Knights are struggling to keep afloat.
Cracks in the goalie rotation
And then there’s the goalie situation. Adin Hill is 9-2-1 as a starter and has allowed 24 goals in 20 games. He is handling the downslide the best of the two and shows a lot of reliability. Logan Thompson, however, is 5-3-1 as a starter and responsible for several of their worst losses.
Thompson has gone from a feel-good story in front of the net to a less-than-solid backup in just over a year. They might even end up trading for another goalie if their past moves are any indication. A three-person rotation would give them much more flexibility and allow Hill to get the rest he needs.
There are just too many things standing in the Golden Knights’ way for the team to have a good shot at the Stanley Cup right now. They are losing back-to-back games, getting shut out in some of them, and can’t seem to mount a strong enough offense.
Next: Last week in Las Vegas sports news 11/20/2023-11/26/2023
