When you look at where the Vegas Golden Knights are during the 4 Nations Face-Off, everything looks promising. The team is tied for first in the Pacific Division with 72 points and has played like one of the best franchises in the league. On top of that, fans are singing Lynard Skynard every time Jack Eichel steps onto the ice (not for Mark Stone, though. He's Canadian).
The club has done so well that some weaknesses have unconventionally become strengths. For example, who would've thought the power play (28%, second-best in the NHL) would become a strong suit? For years, the unit has been the butt of all jokes with its best year in 2019-20 (22%). However, this season is different with Tomas Hertl (10 goals and eight assists on the unit) leading the cause.
While all that's good and dandy, there are some pressing issues that must be addressed. One problem will be the absence of Shea Theodore, who received the dreaded week-to-week designation from an upper-body injury. This came after the 4 Nations Face-Off where he was hit in the boards by Sweden's (and of the Los Angeles Kings) Adrian Kempe.
Replacing 17 power play assists will be a daunting task. But that's not the only problem they must fix. In fact, there are three issues that conflict with their pursuit of yet another Stanley Cup. But, hey. C'est la vie, right? They never said it would be easy to bring home another title. Let's examine the three glaring problems with the Golden Knights after the break.
Playing a full 60 minutes of hockey
This issue has popped up in recent months, specifically in January. It happens whenever a period is winding down and the team is about to head to the locker room for an intermission. One perfect example is on January 30 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Adam Fantilli was credited with the goal with less than two minutes left. However, there was so much wrong with that goal. First, who knew where the puck was going? Not Nicolas Hague, Ilya Samsonov, or any of the other Golden Knights on the ice. Stuff like this cost the team two points in almost every instance, stripping them of a chance to get quality distance from Edmonton in the standings. Remember, every bit counts as Bruce Cassidy will tell his boys.
The penalty kill
The unit is ranked 21st in the NHL in penalty kill percentage (76.7%) and has been the ugly stepchild of Vegas's special teams. There have been numerous problems with successful exits and preventing shots from getting through. In turn, fans have been sweating bullets every time their team takes a penalty.
Losing William Karlsson doesn't help matters, either. He was instrumental in being a disruptive player, even skating down the ice for an odd-man shorthanded opportunity. The good news is that the Golden Knights don't take too many penalties (305 penalty minutes, the fewest in the NHL). However, adding a good penalty kill specialist like Jean-Gabriel Pageau will help the unit.
Breakaway goals
As good as Vegas is at scoring goals (184 team goals, tied for sixth in the NHL), they seem to struggle with burying home goals on the breakaway. This could be based on the team not being used to the opportunity. It could also be them transitioning to a more rush-based system and learning to adapt. Or... it could be sheer, dumb luck.
Whatever the case, the breakaway goal (or lack of) has become the new running gag in Las Vegas. But this could be something for Bruce Cassidy to practice with his guys. Perhaps Stone and Eichel can build their confidence as goal-scorers and iron this out. Who knows? It could add a new element to the rush offense they're implementing.