The Vegas Golden Knights are in a full-blown early season skid, dropping their third straight game Saturday night in a gut-wrenching 2-1 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The wins are drying up, and the problems are becoming seriously alarming for the reigning champs.
Bad Breaks and Bitter Endings
Columbus got on the board first with a goal that felt like a punch to the gut. An attempt to clear the zone bounced off one of those pesky camera holes in the glass, keeping the puck alive in the offensive zone. Denton Mateychuk wasted no time, finding a clear lane to the net and beating Carter Hart on the backhand with a slick move. Just brutal. But the Golden Knights showed some fight before the first period was over. Trevor Connelly fed Braedan Bowman crashing the net, whose shot was stopped by Columbus goaltender and apparent Golden Knights nemesis Cam Talbot. Luckily, Tomas Hertl was there to pounce on the loose puck, sending the teams into the first intermission tied at one. The next two periods were pretty much what you’d expect from two teams still finding their rhythm this early in the season. Not exactly a barn burner, but there was at least some intrigue. Connelly, for instance, got promoted to the top line with Jack Eichel and Mark Stone late in the second, and that line definitely started producing their best chances from that point on. The penalty kill even saw a glimmer of improvement in the third, shutting down two early Columbus power plays, giving Vegas a chance to take control. But that redemption arc lasted about as long as a cup of coffee. Just 15 seconds into overtime, Shea Theodore took a penalty, and Adam Fantilli made them pay, burying the power play goal that put the dagger right into the Golden Knights.
Scoring Drought and Leaky PK: What’s Going On?
This marks their first three-game losing streak of the season, and head coach Ryan Craig is absolutely right to be seeing issues that need fixing, and fast. The offense has totally dried up, with a pathetic three goals in their last nine periods of hockey. Yeah, Mitch Marner coming back into the lineup will definitely give them a jolt, but it is a massive concern how little punch this team has without one of their main offensive engines firing. And don’t even get me started on the penalty kill. It’s been a disaster, giving up a power play goal in five straight games now. You can bet your bottom dollar we’re going to see some changes to those units to find a combination that actually works. The Golden Knights have a couple of days to somehow scrounge together some answers. They’ll need to figure things out if they want to get back in the win column on Tuesday when they face the Ottawa Senators at T-Mobile Arena.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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