The Vegas Golden Knights were thinking about the sunny Florida shores entering Saturday's game against the Panthers. Usually, it's serene around this time, where the hurricane season is behind Floridians. Just throw in a few cocktails and some music by The Archies and you're a whole arse vibe.
...Except that's not how it ended up on Saturday. The Panthers handed Vegas its first regulation loss by a score of 3-0, leaving Vegas at 5-1-2 on the season. Hey, you knew this day would come, especially with a tough East Coast trip looming.
Sam Reinhart broke the ice (literally) by slipping by Vegas in the neutral zone in the first period. He got the first goal and the rest was history. Sergei Bobrovsky wasn't tested in the game, stopping all 17 shots. Overall, the Golden Knights' offense was flat, a surprising result considering they were the top goal-scoring group entering Saturday's game (4.29 goals per game).
But there are some notable things with the Golden Knights in Saturday's disastrous loss. A former Golden Knight got his revenge and the injuries are hurting Vegas in every way. Let's look at some takeaways from the first regulation loss for the boys and see what went wrong.
Injuries are plaguing the Vegas Golden Knights right now
Missing Mark Stone (wrist injury) and Adin Hill (lower-body injury) are big losses for Vegas. For Stone, you're missing an offensive leader who can read defenses and set up solid scoring opportunities. As for Hill, he's a steady presence, whether some people want to admit it or not.
That was apparent on Saturday as the Panthers pulled away in the third period. Without any offensive juice to keep Florida on its toes, Vegas was relegated to stalling in the neutral zone and doing absolutely nothing. That led to Florida overwhelming Akira Schmid in the third period and pulling away.
But it was also missing Noah Hanifin in the lineup. The veteran defenseman had an unmatched goal-scoring acumen on the team, making him a dangerous presence. What will Vegas do to make up for these losses with the defenseman on injured reserve?
The Golden Knights are regretting letting Cole Schwindt walk to the Florida Panthers
Believe it or not, Cole Schwindt scored a goal on Saturday. The only problem was that it was with the Florida Panthers, with that goal putting the game out of reach.
Overall, the former Golden Knight had a strong game, adding two blocked shots to his total. It was the perfect revenge game for Schwindt, who proved that Vegas was foolish in letting him walk on waivers.
Mind you, he did this in 8:27 of TOI, making the most of his limited ice time. He was part of a stellar fourth line that outworked Vegas at every turn. It didn't matter if the unit was blocking shots or hitting Vegas. They put in the work.
Overall, it was a flaccid night for Vegas that called for a blue pill of sorts. If Vegas wants to salvage the trip and come out roses, they must generate more offensive pressure. That includes the fourth line, which was extremely flat offensively.