The Vegas Golden Knights have lost six straight overtime games. That includes two contests against the Anaheim Ducks, who lead the Pacific Division with 29 points. In fact, Saturday's game against the Ducks was a perfect example of the Golden Knights' overtime woes.
Mitch Marner sends an errant pass, where Cutter Gauthier blows it past Akira Schmid for the game-winning goal. With the previous matchup, that combines for two fewer points than Vegas could've had. Of course, Bruce Cassidy had some obvious—yet straightforward—thoughts about the overtime woes.
"We need to manage the puck better. That's what needs to change. It's that simple. There's no complicated answer. It's been four in OT where we've had the puck and it's in our net three to five seconds later."Bruce Cassidy
Overall, Vegas has had seven losses in overtime or a shootout, marking a bizarre stretch of mediocre hockey. This has come in various forms, including Kirill Kaprizov's burn of Carl Lindbom.
Is that certainly the case for the Golden Knights? Is there more to the story that explains these extra-period woes? Perhaps they need a cup of Joe to get them by (I know I do)? Let's look into the possibilities and see what's going on with the Golden Knights in overtime.
How the Vegas Golden Knights are failing in overtime (and what it has to do with what Bruce Cassidy said)
Let's look at that quote from Cassidy for a second. He mentions how the Golden Knights have struggled to manage the puck in overtime. That has led to costly mistakes, a la Marner making that errant pass on Saturday. That's certainly been the case on more than one occasion, namely in the other Ducks matchup this season, with Jacob Trouba scoring the game-winner.
In fact, the stats show that this is a major concern. According to Statmuse, the Golden Knights have the seventh-most giveaways per game this season as of Saturday with 16.81. As for Anaheim? 22nd in the NHL with 15.32.
The stark contrast drastically favors the Ducks in both scenarios. They can pounce on a puck or two with a younger unit, where they can go towards the middle for an easy goal. If Anaheim can take care of the puck better, that bodes well for their overtime chances, specifically against a team like the Golden Knights.
Of course, the biggest offenders for Vegas happen to be your biggest stars, starting with Jack Eichel (37 entering Saturday), Shea Theodore (27), and Marner (27). Therefore, the burden falls on them to do better. However, it's also on role players like Kaedan Korczak (22) and Ivan Barbashev (21) to manage the puck better.
How can the Golden Knights achieve better overtime luck?
It should be easy to do, but the Golden Knights can't be blindly hoping for players to be following them. The Marner mishap is a perfect example of this. If he didn't realize that there was nobody trailing him behind the net, the Ducks don't pounce on the loose puck for the game-winning goal.
That also correlates with communication. Yes, it's much harder to do when you're a rush team that constantly moves up and down the ice. Still, Vegas can stand to let a teammate know when they're in the vicinity. If that happened on Saturday's overtime turnover, the Gauthier goal doesn't happen.
There are many questions that the Golden Knights must answer regarding their overtime maladies. Luckily, there are also some convenient truths to this issue. One, the Stanley Cup playoffs are more forgiving with the format, steering away from 3-on-3 competition. Two, this is a veteran team that has dealt with such adversity before. If any group can break out of the overtime funk, it's Vegas.