Vegas Golden Knights: Takeaways Against the Carolina Hurricanes

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The Vegas Golden Knights just got their first loss in three games to the Carolina Hurricanes. Some people could argue that the teams that the Knights have been facing haven’t been “up-to-par” to really consider them dangerous. However, if there is one mistake a team can make, it would be underestimating the Knights.

It’s no secret around the league that the Vegas Golden Knights are in a terrible spot with injuries, and players being on COVID-19 protocol. Yet, they are consistently finding ways to win. Quite frankly I’d like to figure out exactly how they’ve been getting the production they have had, but at the same point-If it results in wins, I don’t really care.

As I stated above, people will always argue this season has been a down year for the Knights because the wins that they have had came from lesser teams. Although that’s not necessarily a wrong argument, they have also had their share of wins against good teams as well. Not ton mention the fact that they are doing so without some of their top players.

So now, zooming in on the loss against the Carolina Hurricanes, there were a lot of things you can talk about. You can mention the missed call for high-sticking, you can say missed chances, bad looks, pretty much pull topics out of a hat and you’re probably not wrong. However, there are still a couple key points that stand out.

The Vegas Golden Knights are coming off a 4-2 loss against the red hot, Carolina Hurricanes. Now there could be a lot of things to blame, but truth is, the Knights deserved the loss. The Hurricanes outperformed the Knights yesterday and it’s really as simple as that. But there are a few key points that need to be put out there.

Now, fair warning before you get too much further that what your about to read is written right after the game which means I could be overreacting. I choose to write it then because I feel that’s when I can give the most constructive responses from the game and what I noticed. So with that, let’s get right into the first point.

Jonathan Marchessault for the Vegas Golden Knights. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Jonathan Marchessault Was Missed

Prior to the loss against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Vegas Golden Knights had a three game win streak in this home stretch. With 14 goals in just three games, it’s safe to say that the production was there each and every game. Offensive production sets you up to win games, but you still have to be a all-around team in order to win.

Over the course of a three game win streak there is one person who really stands out in each of those three games. With three goals and two assists in just three games, he’s helped carry the Vegas Golden Knights to three back-to-back-to-back wins. His name: Jonathan Marchessault.

Marchessault was at the Las Vegas Raiders game on Sunday night as they took on AFC West competitor, the Kansas City Chiefs. Marchessault was there with teammates: Robin Lehner and William Karlsson. Which, unfortunately, wasn’t the smartest move by Jonathan Marchessault.

It was reported earlier this morning by multiple insiders that winger, Jonathan Marchessault, tested positive for COVID-19. That positive test is going to leave the Vegas Golden Knights without him for the next 10 days at least.

Now, hockey is a team sport. There isn’t a single player in this league that can go out there and win every game simply by himself–It’s just not realistic. But, Jonathan Marchessault was the closest the Vegas Golden Knights had to that. Since the turnaround struck, Marchessault has easily been one of the best players on the ice, and one of the most productive players.

He was able to keep applying offensive pressure throughout the whole game. He’d take pressure of Reilly Smith in order to create more opportunities, he’d help create chances with his play making, and was a threat on the power play. Now, the power play isn’t great, but Marchessault was the most impactful player on the power play unit.

Without him on the ice, the Knights were lacking a lot of pressure in the offensive zone. There weren’t many grade-A chance for the Knights, and they were outplayed in that aspect which lead to a Carolina win. Without Marchessault it was clear that he really does help this team more than we all think.

Vladimir Tarasenko takes the shot against the Knights. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Lack Of Offense; Too Many Bad Looks

The Vegas Golden Knights got under my skin yesterday against the Carolina Hurricanes. I know you’re thinking “What are you talking about?” well, let me tell you.

There were a lot of potential opportunities yesterday in which the Vegas Golden Knights could’ve put themselves in a better situation to win. However, as you can tell by the loss, they didn’t take advantage of the opportunities they had.

They had multiple chances to move the puck towards the net and try drawing Raanta out of the crease, in fact, there was a shot taken by forward, Evgenii Dadonov, that had him way out of his crease. Instead of trying to find a pass across the ice, or laying one off along the perimeter, he decided to take the shot right at him.

It’s those opportunities I’m referring to when I say they got under my skin. The types of things you look for in players: Shot, Passing, Vision, IQ, Puck handling, were all things that showed tonight and none of them really seemed to shine.

Now, playing in the NHL is hard. Especially when you have to play against a team like the Hurricanes. There is no easy victory playing a team as talented as them when you are dealing with so much loss. But good teams overcomes those problems and find ways to beat teams like these.

Moving forward, I’d expect them to learn and make adjustments because I still have no doubt in my mind that this is a championship caliber roster. The problem is that they have the players that make the Vegas Golden Knights a championship caliber team on the IR. Hopefully, they find a way to bounce back Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings.

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