The Vegas Golden Knights have been notorious the past couple seasons for how bad their power play has been. Unfortunately for them, it’s not getting any better this season. In fact, If it even possible, it may have gotten worse.
The Vegas Golden Knights power play is notoriously bad, and yet they’ve gotten worse through nine games this season.
So before we jump into just how bad they’ve been, there needs to be the disclaimer. Yes, the Knights are facing a plethora of injuries to multiple key players. Yes, they also are big factors on the power play. But even with that, I don’t feel it would make much of a factor and this is why;
Looking back to last season, the Knights had multiple opportunities to turn their team into a power-play powerhouse. When you have star’s Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, Alex Pietrangelo, Alec Martinez, Shea Theodore, and William Karlsson, the Knights should be able to make something of their favorable chances. But they don’t.
Last season the NHL season was shortened to 56 total games. That could account for a couple goals, maybe, but it doesn’t change the fact that they were bad. According to Statmuse, the Knights had the 22nd ranked power play percentage in the league with 17.8%. Despite them having one of the best rosters in the league, the Knights just couldn’t seem to execute in the favorable situations.
Now here is the biggest thing that people can argue about that. Based upon the statistics from last season the Knights top power-play goal scorers were Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty with six goals a piece. So it’s safe to say without them out there on the power play, it’s been tough on the Knights.
However, does that really just completely neutralize the fact that the Knights are currently 0/18 on power-play chances? Just in case you are curious where that ranks, it ranks 32nd. They are the only team in the NHL who has not totaled a point on the power play.
Getting Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty back will definitely help their chances of getting a point on the power-play this season. However, is that what it’s come to now? If they don’t have Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty on the ice for the power play they won’t be able to even get a point? Terrible.