If I were to sum up the Vegas Golden Knights in the past eight games, it'd be something like this.
Poignant, stupid, and non-sensical. That's been the Golden Knights in a nutshell. That has included Jaycob Megna turning the puck over to lead to an odd-man rush and the Golden Knights not accounting for Brayden Schenn on the weak side. Overall, you can say that Vegas's style of hockey has been the ebola virus for the eyes of Las Vegas residents everywhere.
It doesn't matter if it's Carter Hart's wheels suddenly falling off or the gazillion injuries that Vegas has suffered. It seems that January has come early for the Golden Knights. In turn, fans feel like the entire world's collapsing upon them.
That was apparent on Friday as the Golden Knights lost to the St. Louis Blues, 4-3. Not even Jack Eichel was enough as Vegas gave up yet another lead, watching St. Louis score three unanswered goals. What will it take to fix this broken team?
Is there even hope for this team as everyone else watches the Golden Knights collapse? Well, whatever the case, here's what's happening within the Golden Knights' world as we start the new year... not really right.
Jack Eichel makes his Golden Knights return... with very little fanfare
Vegas Golden Knights fans were excited to see Jack Eichel return to the ice on Friday. They were hoping that some of that magic would rub off on Vegas, leading them to victory against the lowly St. Louis Blues.
So, all that sounds good, right? How would I describe Eichel's performance on Friday?
All the superstar center could muster was three shots on goal. No goals. No assists. Nothing. I understand that injuries can happen to a team, leaving you short a few players. But you had every chance to put the team on your back and didn't, especially with the depth scoring shining again. Something better change quickly before it's too late.
The Vegas Golden Knights need to get healthy—fast
On Wednesday, the Golden Knights lost Brayden McNabb to an upper-body injury. The culprit? Michael Bunting, who laid out McNabb on the ice in Nashville's 4-2 victory.
The result? A week-to-week designation that brought in Jaycob Megna. Golden Knights fans know how he played on Friday, which is why everyone's hoping that the team heals up quickly.
The Western Conference suddenly has a clogged playoff picture
What if I told you that the "greater expansion story" was holding onto the last Wild Card spot as of Friday evening with 41 points? What if I told you that only three teams (the Chicago Blackhawks, the Vancouver Canucks, and the Winnipeg Jets) weren't a point out of a playoff spot in that same time frame?
This is where the Golden Knights must be careful. While they sit pretty at 45 points, a prolonged mediocre stretch could do them in. That's something that can't happen, especially since you have Stanley Cup aspirations this season.