Golden Knights Have Hit Western Canada

Slumping and in need of some offensive jump, the Vegas Golden Knights are in the midst of a swing through Western Canada for what is a fascinating trio of games over  four nights against the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks.

Last night’s 2-1 overtime loss to the Flames got things off to a tough start. Once again, the Golden Knights’ offense underwhelmed, extending a punchless stretch that has seen them score just three goals over their past four games and get shut out three times over their past seven (by Charlie Lindgren, Alex Nedeljkovic and Connor Ingram, no less).

But even as the Golden Knights try to focus on their own areas of improvement, it’s hard to ignore the intriguing collection of Pacific Division rivals they are coming up against within these three games. Last March, a similar back-to-back-to-back visit to the same three Western Canadian cities produced a 3-0 record that helped solidify their position atop the Pacific.

This time around, however, they’ve already dropped one and things look a whole lot different.

Calgary Flames

Part of the disappointment surrounding last night’s loss to Calgary stems from how much they’ve struggled early on in the year. Any hopes that the woes plaguing the 2022-23 Flames went out the door with departed head coach Darryl Sutter were all but dashed over the course of their disastrous early season six-game losing streak. While things have steadied somewhat since then, they still own a losing record (9-10-3)  while beset with a host of problems.

Thus far, goaltender Jacob Markstrom hasn’t rediscovered his 2021-22 All-Star form that saw him finish second in Vezina Trophy voting, while the blue line has looked ineffective at times. Most troubling has been the performance of the team’s highest-paid forwards, with Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri and Elias Lindholm struggling to lead the team’s attack. Even against Vegas, their limited offense came courtesy of goals by fourth-liner A.J. Greer and defenseman (and OT hero) Mackenzie Weegar.

Edmonton Oilers

The biggest story in hockey this season has been the shocking downward spiral of the Oilers. Going into the year as arguably the Golden Knights’ biggest threat for both a Pacific Division and Stanley Cup repeat, Edmonton ranks among the league’s worst teams with an embarrassing 15 points in 20 games.

That the Oilers are enduring issues in net is no surprise. Still, few expected things to get so bad for Jack Campbell to need an AHL stint, let alone that head coach Jay Woodcroft would be fired 13 games into the season. The club hasn’t even been able to rely on the greatness of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, as both superstars have been performing below their lofty standards.

Edmonton, ostensibly Vegas’ biggest challenge in the Pacific, currently sits 16 points back of the Golden Knights with playoff hopes already in serious jeopardy. But for all that has gone wrong with the team this year, a victory over Vegas would represent another momentum-building statement win coming off of two emphatic victories (and seven McDavid points) to signal that they might have a pulse.

From their shared preseason status as Western Conference contenders to their wildly disparate starts to a recent return to the mean for each club, tonight’s rematch of last year’s Western Conference Semifinals carries a lot of intrigue.

Vancouver Canucks

As one Western Canadian Stanley Cup hopeful has collapsed this season, another appears to have emerged. Although they’ve stagnated a bit in recent weeks, the Canucks are nonetheless out to a stellar start under new head coach Rick Tocchet.

After finishing with just 83 points a year ago, they are currently on pace to record 108. Quinn Hughes has emerged as a Norris and possible even Hart Trophy candidate, while stars J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and goaltender Thatcher Demko have been stellar. Under Tocchet, they are playing a more physical, confident brand of hockey.

While it wasn’t necessarily anticipated at the outset of the season, this game could have ramifications on the season-long race to reign supreme in the Pacific. Vegas still leads the division, but just two points currently separates them from both the Canucks and the hard-charging Los Angeles Kings.

In other words, this isn’t an ideal time for the Golden Knights to be backsliding. The Flames, Oilers and Canucks all represent interesting measuring sticks. Not only are they all divisional rivals, but they all offer different lenses through which Vegas can view its current position and what challenges await the rest of the way. Losing to Calgary, arguably the easiest of the three challenges, wasn’t the most promising start.