Many Golden Knights In A Slumber “Need To Get Going”

The Golden Knights fell again last night in New York and it was a similar story. Vegas scores on the power play, struggles to generate at 5-on-5, and the goaltending does not stand tall enough to rescue them.

After the game, Bruce Cassidy was not shy in calling out his group’s inability to score.

Some guys have been offensively in a slumber for us for a while and they need to get going. That’s a little bit of what’s going on. Every night it’s got to be different people. Their top guys were all over the scoresheet in the 3rd period and that’s going to happen, that’s what they are paid to do and our guys will certainly do that. But there are guys throughout the lineup that a goal here or there from a guy you aren’t thinking of, that’s what gets you on winning streaks. -Bruce Cassidy

In the last three games, the Golden Knights have gotten goals from Jack Eichel (3), Tomas Hertl (2), and Pavel Dorofeyev (1). That’s it.

Many players, up and down the Golden Knights lineup, have been in a bit of a slump, and it’s affecting the results in a big way.

When Each Golden Knights Scored Their Last Goal
Eichel: February 2nd (0 games)
Hertl: January 30th (1 game)
Dorofeyev: January 28th (2 games)
McNabb: January 26th (3 games)
Pearson: January 26th (3 games)
Theodore: January 24th (4 games)
Olofsson: January 23rd (5 games)
Stone: January 23rd (5 games)
Howden: January 20th (6 games, 5 games played in)
Kolesar: January 12th (10 games)
Whitecloud: January 7th (13 games)
Hague: January 2nd (15 games)
Hanifin: December 31st (16 games)
Karlsson: December 21st (20 games, 14 games played)
Pietrangelo: December 19th (21 games)
Barbashev: December 14th (23 games, 13 games played in)
Roy: December 6th (25 games, 14 games played)

And that only tells a portion of the story. Alex Pietrangelo has one goal in his last 36 games. Nic Roy has one in his last 26. Keegan Kolesar has one in his last 19, Brett Howden one in 16, Tanner Pearson one in 15, and Mark Stone one in 11.

The problem can all be directed at even-strength play. Of the 25 players who have played in any of the last 13 games, just four have a positive goal share at even strength.

Vegas’ inability to score at even strength has completely nullified their dominance on the power play. There hasn’t been an even-strength goal scored by any of Roy, Theodore, Pietrangelo, Babarshev, Hague, Holtz, Whitecloud, Karlsson, Hanifin, Saad, Laczynski, Rondbjerg, Lavoie, Schwindt, Brisson, or Burke since the start of the 3-7-3 stretch.

When Cassidy talks about getting goals from less likely sources, this is what he’s talking about. For the Golden Knights to turn this around, they need offense from everyone. Eichel, Hertl, and Dorofeyev can do a lot of the heavy lifting, but they can’t do it all.