The Vegas Golden Knights have to be running out of patience, and the time to let their frustrations out on opponents is now.
On Thursday, the Golden Knights begin what has quickly turned into the most critical homestand of the season against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, NV
Date: Thursday, March 12
Time: 7:00 PST
How To Watch: SCRIPPS, ESPN+
Radio: 1340 AM, 94.7 FM
The month of March has gone nothing short of horrific for the Golden Knights so far, winning only one of their six games. Since then, Vegas has slipped from first to third in the Pacific Division, and missing the playoffs entirely has turned into a legitimate worst-case scenario. Such a fall would be akin to opening Pandora’s Box when it comes to this era of the Golden Knights, and the impetus lays with the team to either change course or deal with the consequences.
With desperation needing to be a constant in the locker room, the Golden Knights need a lot to go right.
Change it up
Last game against Pittsburgh could not have gone any worse, with a 5-0 blowout loss on Mar. 1 serving as a precursor to this month’s woes.
The Golden Knights cannot come in with a deflated mindset against a team that outright embarrassed them just over a week ago. They have to simplify their gameplan, execute plays at a high level and get the frustration out of their system. It will take a hundred percent effort to get back in the swing of things, and the Golden Knights need to be looking for momentum in the worst way.
Make a save
In a time when goaltending has had to be sharp, the Golden Knights have unfortunately gone cold in that area as of late.
Neither Adin Hill nor Akira Schmid has put up a save percentage over .870 so far this month, which has raised serious concerns. It puts pressure on the group in front to be perfect, as mistakes have too often found their way in the back of the net. Sweeping changes to the position this offseason cannot be ruled out, so this has to be the stretch of the season where one of the other regains control of the crease.
Show discipline
When things are going against a team, bad things tend to happen.
In the previous game against the Dallas Stars, the Golden Knights suffered from penalty trouble. It lead to what would ultimately wind up as the game-winning goal for the Stars, as well as shut down any chance for Vegas to come back in the third period. With Pittsburgh boasting the fifth-best power play percentage in the lead (25.1 percent), the Golden Knights cannot afford to get careless with their play on the ice.
