The Vegas Golden Knights dropped their first contest of the season, falling to the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 after a third-period comeback fell short. Overall, it wasn't the best performance for the Golden Knights, who didn’t get on the scoreboard until midway through the third period. Usually, goalies get their fair share of blame when scores get out of hand, but Vegas falling behind 4-0 wasn't entirely Carter Hart's fault.
Golden Knights waited too long to show up
As the old saying goes, “the house always wins,” and although that may be true, the Golden Knights did a terrible job protecting the Fortress on Friday night. Against a budding rival, the Ducks, Vegas let them go up 4-0 before they realized they had to play a hockey game. You could argue that not every goal was Hart’s fault, but if the team in front of him isn’t playing competitively for 40 minutes, there’s only so much he can do.
Considering that the Golden Knights defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 on Opening Night, they should have known by puck drop that scoring across the league is on the rise; just ask Pacific Division foes Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks. Now, after two games, the Golden Knights have played in back-to-back seven-goal games. At some point, teams will clamp down and start playing defense again, something the Ducks did for 40 minutes.
By the time the Vegas stars woke up from their two-period slumber, it was too little, too late. Once upon a time, Anaheim wasn’t a threat to the juggernaut Golden Knights, but these are not the Mighty Ducks anymore. Instead, they have a young core coming together at the right time and could be a division contender for the foreseeable future. What used to be an easy two points isn't anymore, and the Golden Knights had better wake up to that because these two meet three more times this season.
Vegas heads into a trap game on Sunday
After losing to the Ducks, a team worthy of the Pacific Division title, the Golden Knights don’t play again until Sunday, when they visit the Canucks. These days, Vancouver is in a significant rebuild, coming off producing the lowest point total in the NHL last season. Yet, in their first two games, they threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Oilers and split it 1-1 with a potential Stanley Cup contender. If the Golden Knights take Sunday's game lightly, the upstart Canucks could embarrass them just as quickly as Anaheim did on Friday.
Ultimately, the question facing Ryan Craig ahead of a two-game trip to the Pacific Northwest is whether Hart starts against the Canucks and Seattle Kraken or Adin Hill gets his first start of the season. Either way, both teams have better odds of winning the Draft Lottery than earning a playoff spot, which means Vegas should secure four points in those games. If they don't, they run the risk of more questions about a slow start.
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