Vegas Golden Knights: Long road trip will tell us a lot

Let’s hope the Vegas Golden Knights like life on the road because they are going to get pretty used to it over the coming weeks.

After concluding a seven-game homestand with a brutal loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, the Vegas Golden Knights will now hit the road for a lengthy eight-game road trip.

In total, the Knights will be away from home for just under a month, although the 2020 NHL All-Star Game will break that tough schedule up.

However, this is an incredibly crucial and perhaps season-defining stretch coming up for the Golden Knights, who will need to prove that they are the team we all thought they were.

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After all, following the loss to the Blue Jackets on Saturday, the Knights slipped to third in what is an ultra-competitive Pacific Division.

Given that five teams all have a chance of winning the Division, which is just nuts, the Golden Knights don’t have much room for error.

And that’s why this road trip is going to be one long litmus test for Vegas, who must work out exactly who they are or face a disappointing conclusion to the 2019-20 NHL regular season.

Because, it isn’t going to get any easier for them down the stretch. The Calgary Flames are finally living up to their potential, the Arizona Coyotes are getting it done, the Vancouver Canucks boast a hell of a lot of firepower and the Edmonton Oilers have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

All the teams listed above will no doubt be looking to bolster their rosters at the Trade Deadline in order to help them cross the finishing line, so the Vegas Golden Knights must buck some alarming trends.

Don’t get me wrong, this is still a very talented roster but it isn’t without flaws, and they are rearing their ugly heads time and time again at the moment.

From a lack of secondary scoring to the need for a puck-moving defenseman, the Knights will have some work to do at the Trade Deadline.

But then there are other concerns too, including the recent worrying habit that has seen Vegas outscored 10-0 in the last four first periods of games.

That has got to be mental rather than anything physical, and the Golden Knights won’t last long in the postseason if they continue to spot teams leads.

We’re into the meaty part of the year now where every single point counts, and this eight-game road trip could either make or break this season for Vegas.

It starts in Buffalo on Tuesday against a Sabres team who are chasing a Wild Card spot, before a two-game swing in Canada to take on the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens.

It only gets tougher from that point on, too, with incredibly tough matchups against the Boston Bruins and the Carolina Hurricanes, not to mention a tilt against a resurgent and red hot Tampa Bay Lightning team.

Throw in showdowns against two teams fighting for their playoff lives in the Nashville Predators and the Florida Panthers, then there aren’t really any easy games on this road trip for the Knights.

With a record of 10-8-3 on the road so far this year, Vegas will need to go above .500 on this trip or they could be staring down a gaping hole when it comes to battling for a playoff spot.

But, with all the bumps in the road that have already been encountered by the Knights already this year, this road trip will tell us a lot about this team’s character.

Because being on the road for such a long stretch is when bonds are really forged, but it is also when you get tested the most.

And with so much on the line, we will find out whether or not the Vegas Golden Knights are genuine cup contenders by the time they finally return to T-Mobile Arena on Feb. 13.