3 players that must step up during the Vegas Golden Knights slump

The Vegas Golden Knights have lost five of their last six games and suddenly have the Edmonton Oilers on their tails. Who must pick it up for the team to thrive again?

New York Rangers v Vegas Golden Knights
New York Rangers v Vegas Golden Knights | Ethan Miller/GettyImages
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Alex Pietrangelo

Entering Friday's game against the Hurricanes, Alex Pietrangelo didn't have any points since January 2 against the Philadelphia Flyers. He's endured a dry spell of his own, hampering the offense. What's more, the blue line is more focused on generating offensive opportunities on the rush than ever.

The good news is he got two assists in the last two games, indicating a turnaround could be coming. However, it's on the 35-year-old to build off that momentum, creating more opportunities for his teammates.

Bonus: Ilya Samsonov

Ilya Samsonov hasn't been talked about much since he's the backup goaltender. He's not expected to do too much for the Vegas Golden Knights other than give Adin Hill much-needed rest. However, he lost the team some games when the offense was actually present.

He's allowed nine goals in his last two starts (4.59 GAA) and has a save percentage of .800. Those two awful starts against the Hurricanes and Blackhawks are the difference between a winning road trip and an absolute disaster. If Samsonov can improve to being an average netminder, the Golden Knights will walk away with at least two points in those situations.

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