Remember when the vibes were sky-high after last Saturday's shutout win against the Chicago Blackhawks? The Vegas Golden Knights got a shutout victory from Adin Hill, and saw Rasmus Andersson score a goal for the infamous staredown. The vibes were high and immaculate... until St. Patrick's Day came around.
Here, it led to being shut out by the Buffalo Sabres. No worries because the Sabres are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. They look like they might actually go all the way for a change. That says more about this season's team than past efforts, where Buffalo gave up to watch Josh Allen lose to Patrick Mahomes.
But then comes the Utah Mammoth, who finally realized that they had a hockey club. The Mammoth got a couple of goals from Clayton Keller, en route to a 4-0 victory. But Keller scoring two goals immediately isn't even the worst part of Thursday's game.
But let's go over the week that was for the Golden Knights. Let's be honest for a second. Vegas would've been wise to steal a leprachaun and shake him down for all the good luck and four-leaf clovers that he had. The team has been starving for something to swing their way this week.
Bruce Cassidy calls out the Golden Knights for struggling on offense
Sometimes, you have the occassional shutout that pops up in your schedule. At times, you're at the forefront. Other times, you're on the receiving end. The Golden Knights received both worlds during the four-game homestand, shutting out the Chicago Blackhawks before... being shut out by the Buffalo Sabres and the Utah Mammoth.
The last two duds led to Bruce Cassidy calling out his own squad, questioning their effort despite not having any rest. He also reminded them that they were a veteran group that made plays, making them one of the toughest teams around. Will that happen any time soon? Who knows.
Adin Hill pulls a "Johnny Depp's ex" and lets in all three shots against the Utah Mammoth
Now, I'm going to use the above-mentioned terminology to play it safer. But you get the general picture of what Adin Hill did to his bed on Thursday against the Utah Mammoth. We're talking about all three shots going past him for goals, leading to a Mammoth 4-0 victory.
Some can question whether it's a matter of not giving Schmid a start in between those six straight starts that Hill had. But one thing's certain: even Bruce Cassidy's had enough of his starting goaltender collapsing like he needs Life Alert.
The Golden Knights have a tougher road trip ahead than people realize
You're facing off against the Dallas Stars on Sunday and the sneaky Nashville Predators the day before. That means that Vegas already has a tough three-game road trip looming, putting them in a tough position. However, that could get even tougher if they see Olympic hero Connor Hellebuyck.
That's right, dear reader. The Golden Knights also play against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, giving them a surprisingly challenging gauntlet ahead. It could derail everything (or whatever) built during the regular season, leading to *GASP* a potential regular season collapse.