Well, that was quick. After a run of back to back wins and an extremely close loss to a white-hot Buffalo Sabres, Vegas' good vibes completely ran out on Thursday night. In a matchup against the wild-card contending Utah Mammoth, the Golden Knights virtually didn't show up, playing one of their dullest games in recent memory en route to a 4-0 loss. If you're keeping track, that's now back to back shutouts, and the third of the month. Yours truly is out of optimism on this season.
It all comes crashing down for Adin Hill
Remember when Hill was having a really good run the last few games? That was nice. Remember when I said I'd be shocked to see him get a sixth consecutive start? Well, apparently Bruce Cassidy disagreed, as Hill did, in fact, get a sixth consecutive start. It went about exactly as well as one would've expected for an inconsistent goaltender that hasn't had a night off in over a week.
Three shots, three goals. That's all it took for the Mammoth to put a stranglehold on the Golden Knights just eight minutes into the game, and the score would stay that way until a late empty-netter. While you can partially chalk the first two up to atrocious defense in leaving Clayton Keller undefended, the third goal is entirely on Hill simply not being fast enough. Really, one can argue the second one was partly on him too, as he overcommitted to Schmaltz's side and got caught out of position by Keller at the left side of the net.
Hill ultimately left the game after that third goal, with Akira Schmid relieving him. A save percentage of .000 basically hits the reset button on any progress Hill's made recently, and any hope that Vegas finally had a steady hand in net. With rumblings that Carter Hart may be nearing a return, he'd better shape up if he wants to keep the starter's net down the stretch. That said, it's not like Hart was much better before his injury, so maybe I'm getting ahead of myself.
The offense performs a disappearing act for a second straight night
Fun fact: the last time Vegas was shut out in back to back games was during the 2021-22 season. Yeah, that one. The one we don't talk about. Great vibes to be harkening back to that year! That's all not even taking into account how they were also shut out in Pittsburgh just a few games ago.
Technically, in theory, the Golden Knights put up a good offensive effort, as Moneypuck has them at over 4 expected goals. In practice, however, it felt like a completely different game than the Buffalo one - zone entries went nowhere, shot attempts were blocked or whiffed on, and in general, it rarely felt like Vegas challenged Karel Vejmelka.
They hit a few posts too, so terrible puck luck. The top-end power play also only had two opportunities to work, and barely did anything with them. At least the penalty kill was perfect on the night, as they continue to be a rare bright spot.
Vegas has now won seven of their last 22 per SinBin, and per ESPN's broadcast, are 0-12-1 since January 19th when allowing an opponent to score first. Call me a doomer, but absolutely everything about this team screams first-round exit at best and no playoffs at worst. At least the rest of the division is garbage, I guess.