Tuesday was an unfortunate game for the Vegas Golden Knights. The Minnesota Wild scored three first-period goals en route to a 5-2 victory. It was the Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy show, where the two forwards combined for three goals and two assists.
The objective is simple. Find a way to stop these two players before it's too late. Don't let them run "wild" all over the series.
However, that's only part of the equation. The entire Golden Knights squad must play better, sans a few names. Tomas Hertl (two goals) and Brett Howden (two goals) are shining examples of players who've carried Vegas in the series. Another example is Alex Pietrangelo, who has two assists and three shots. People might hate on the 35-year-old for his deteriorating performance (hello, party of one!). But the defenseman is pulling his weight against the Wild.
With that are three names that haven't shown up in any capacity. Sure, you can point your finger at the team not playing well along the boards. You can also point at defensive zone turnovers as a problem area.
All these are valid arguments for improving the team play, along with not partying like it's 2023. That could explain the whole "playing down to your competition" ordeal. Still, three names come to mind for the series. These players have been as transparent as John Cena in the ring. Who must pick up the pace before it's too late?
1.) Jack Eichel
Jack Eichel has gone MIA in the first-round series against the Minnesota Wild. He doesn't have a single point in the first two games played. In fact, he didn't record a single shot in Tuesday's 5-2 loss. That's unacceptable for the team's focal point.
If Eichel wants to start playing like he's not in Buffalo, he better start taking more shots. Just get to the net and fire away.
No overthinking.
No cute plays.
That will go a long way in carrying the team past the Minnesota Wild. Ironically, he's not the only top line player who's been notably absent...
2.) Mark Stone
If I told you not a single player on the top line had a point in the first two games, you would've laughed at me. Yet, here we are. It's not just Jack Eichel who's the problem. It's also Mark Stone. Teams are figuring out that just letting him handle the puck will work. He's not going to shoot, so don't worry about it.
Well, Captain. It's time to start firing away. Three shots in your first two games isn't cutting it anytime soon. Who knows? Maybe being demoted to the second line for a more shooting-friendly winger will help. The problem with Stone is he's a winger who plays like a center. He'll look for the open man to capitalize. That must change against Minnesota before the Vegas Golden Knights get eliminated.
3.) Shea Theodore
The defenseman had the worst Game 2 performance of everyone, sans Brayden McNabb. The Golden Knights defenseman was a -4 and had two devastating giveaways. According to HockeyStatCards, his Game 2 play was one of the worst this postseason, standing at -4.15. Just look at his impact card for Tuesday.
NHL GameScore Impact Card for Vegas Golden Knights on 2025-04-22: pic.twitter.com/fZ9Mz6RmyT
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) April 23, 2025
Turnovers in the defensive zone must end. Trying to do everything on your own must end. Bruce Cassidy made this clear in the post-game press conference. The Golden Knights are a TEAM first and foremost. Theodore shouldn't stress himself out to make the best play possible.