Knights on Ice — When Is It Time To Really Worry?

After yesterday’s beatdown of the VGK at the hands of the Boston Bruins by a score of 4-1, I know many of you are dazed, confused, frustrated, and second-guessing your team.

It’s no secret that Malcolm Subban had a bad game yesterday. He looked completely lost on Boston’s second goal, a gift for Jeremy Lauzon that turned out to be the game-winner.

All professional hockey players remember the first goal they score in the NHL. When Jeremy is asked about it years from now, will he tell anyone that there wasn’t even a goalie in the net when he scored? Yes, one was on the ice, but when Malcolm Subban left the crease to track down a dump-in to his right, he completely whiffed on the puck coming off the end boards. Meanwhile, Jeremy beat both Deryk Engelland and Nick Holden to the elusive puck — for the easiest goal he’ll ever score in the rest of his time in the NHL.

You might be wondering, how can a team that turned the entire NHL on its head last year be having so much trouble both offensively and defensively 18 games into the season?

I could mention injuries and suspensions, but those are part of the game. This team is deep in talent. Currently, their fourth line is one of the best in the league, if not the best, in my opinion. In the other lines, Alex Tuch, Jonathan Marchessault, and Cody Eakin are playing their hearts out and skating every inch of the 200 feet. Fleury is Fleury, but without goal support, he can only do so much. With the Knights scoring  a paltry 44 goals in 18 games, that requires Fleury or Subban to allow two goals or less per game for the team to have success, and that’s not happening.

The weakest link is defense, which is magnified by Schmidt being out for the first 20 games. With two games left, Nate will return on Nov. 18 vs. Edmonton. That should be the first part of the resurgence of this team. Schmidt’s ability to skate the puck out of harm’s way will take a lot of pressure off Fleury and Subban. His stretch passes will be beneficial not only to the first line, but also to Alec Tuch, who seems to have somehow developed a turbo gear in his skating stride.

Plenty of breakdowns and mistakes led to all four Boston goals yesterday, including multiple 5-on-3 power plays for the Bruins.

For example, Brad Hunt went down on one knee, attempting to deny a cross-ice pass from Anders Bjork to Danton Helnen. If you come off your skates, you cannot allow the pass to get by you. It did. Helnen had a wide-open net as Subban was committed to his left, focused on Bjork. Hunt had only 12 shifts in the game and just 12:17 of ice time as compared to the other 5 defensemen, who registered between 19 and 23 minutes of ice time with 20+ shifts. Did Gallant sit him down to get his attention?

There’s really no sense in breaking down what else went wrong in Boston, other than to say that when Gallant is breaking up his number-one line like he did in this game, trouble is brewing.

But there’s a silver lining to this horrendous start and it’s worth looking at rather than looking back.

In their first 18 games, the VGK  are 7-10-1 and sit near the bottom of the Pacific Division, just 4 points ahead of the L.A. Kings who are dead last. L.A. has played two less games.

Of the 18 games, they’ve played only two against teams in the Pacific Division, in which they earned 3 out of a possible 4 points: 2 against Anaheim and 1 in the shootout loss to Vancouver.

The entire Pacific Division isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire. Only 2 teams in the Pacific have a positive goal differential (goals scored vs. goals surrendered). Arizona has a +6 and San Jose is +1 Calgary is at zero, having scored 56 and given up 56. Vegas is currently -10 in this category. The other 4 teams have a negative goal differential, ranging from a -2 for Vancouver, currently in first place in the division, to –17 for the L.A. Kings, at the bottom of the division with just 11 points in 16 games.

I bring this up because of the VGK’s schedule in their first 18 games, which has obviously kept them out of their division; they’ve played 11 of their first 18 games on the road. That may actually have been a good thing, as it kept them away from games with 4-point ramifications. If 16 of their first 18 games had been against division foes, this season might already be a foregone conclusion.

So I say it’s not time to worry just yet, but that time is fast approaching. Their next 8 out of 10 games all against Pacific Division opponents. If the results of those games are similar to what we’ve witnessed so far, then there will be all hands on board. Historically in the NHL, teams not in a playoff position by the beginning of December will more than likely remain on the outside looking in come April.

The thought of this team not making the playoffs this year will be a shockwave similar to the one they created last year just falling 3 games short of winning the Stanley Cup.

Granted, teams have made adjustments to counter Vegas’ style of play, but not so much to have them not be at least one of the 8 teams of 15 that will earn a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

So hold tight. It’s not panic time just yet. But these upcoming 10 games will be the true test of what we can expect from this team going forward.

The next game is Wednesday vs. Anaheim at 7:30 p.m. back in T-Mobile Arena, where the ever-loyal fans inject energy into this team from the time of the National Anthem to the final buzzer. Be Vegas loud on Wednesday. Your team can use the adrenaline rush that you give them.

Your comments and opinions are welcome here at Las Vegas Advisor or you can contact me directly at [email protected]

And for the most comprehensive coverage of the Vegas Golden Knights’ historic inaugural season, take a look at our book Vegas Golden Knights—How a First-Year Expansion Team Healed Las Vegas and Shocked the Hockey World.