Look, I know it's only preseason and overreactions like this seem, well, exaggerated. After all, this time is reserved for those who'll make the final roster.
However, when you have 19 shots on goal through two periods and nothing to show for it, that should spell trouble. That's especially true with Mitch Marner in the lineup, where he played alongside Brandon Saad and Tomas Hertl. Mind you, Marner only had one shot on goal through two periods, which should be alarming in itself.
But the main point is something else worrying. It took 27 shots to finally sneak one past Scott Wedgewood. It was a deflection from a Brayden McNabb shot that tied the game. The culprit? Brett Howden. Yet, scoring your first goal in the third period still has some fans worried.
"Is this the game where we get shut out?"
"Is this forward group overrated?"
Such questions had a fanbase concerned about the team's overall wellbeing before the season starts. Don't forget that the Golden Knights face off against the Los Angeles Kings next week. These are the same Kings that caused Vegas all sorts o' trouble last season, winning the 2024-25 series, 3-1.
But let's look at the overall apparatus of the Golden Knights offense. Sure, there are some worrisome trends in play. So let's look at these trends and see whether it's something to sweat or not.
What are some alarming trends that should have Vegas Golden Knights fans worried?
First, the Golden Knights offense has an awfully hard time getting started. They don't have a first-period goal during this preseason and only have three second-period goals. If you're not able to get started early, you could find yourself in an early hole that you can't escape. That goes without saying.
Granted, that comes without having Mitch Marner and Jack Eichel in the same lineup for all but one game. That's also true with Pavel Dorofeyev missing a chunk of the current preseason. However, Wednesday's game featured two-thirds of the starting lineup, both regarding the forward group and the blue line.
If you're not able to get it going with a majority of your players in the lineup, that will immediately sound alarm bells. That's not even mentioning the second-best power play from last season, which hasn't scored on four opportunities in the last two games.
That doesn't mean that Golden Knights fans should worry... yet
A few factors stand out regarding the Golden Knights' offensive slump. First, it's preseason.
Second, players like Dorofeyev and Jeremy Lauzon haven't played in the preseason much due to injuries. The Golden Knights are taking a cautious approach to their players' injuries, trying not to exaggerate their maladies. That could prove fatal in the long term if they re-agitate their minor injuries, leaving them to dig deep.
Finally, Vegas hasn't seen much of Eichel and Marner together, as mentioned. The shiny new duo hasn't spent much time together during the preseason, sans one game. When they've played together, they've won the game on their collective backs.
Let's stop the panic until the regular season rolls around. Sure, the offense spends too much time in the offensive zone without producing much success. However, they're still working out the kinks and are trying to find the groove. After all, the Golden Knights won on Wednesday, 2-1.
There's an old saying that goes something like this:
"Rome wasn't built in a day."