The Vegas Golden Knights had a statement road trip last week. They took seven out of eight possible points, thrusting themselves further up the NHL hierarchy. You can thank the solid goaltending and timely scoring from Trevor Connelly and Tomas Hertl for the help. Otherwise, things would've gotten extremely dicey.
Anyway, the Golden Knights return home for a five-game homestand (okay, it's more of a gauntlet) that starts on Wednesday. The opponent? The Utah Mammoth, who are already hearing about the Evil Empire known as the Golden Knights. I can only imagine how Vegas is entering Wednesday's contest.
Okay, so it's kinda like that. The only difference would be that the Golden Knights avoid the pillow.
Still, this is a game against a playoff-position team that can't be taken lightly. The Golden Knights haven't done too well against such teams, only mustering two wins against teams in such a position this season. Hey, Wednesday's the perfect opportunity to make it No. 3 since the Mammoth hold the final Wild Card spot, right?
Anyway, let's map out a strategy that will help the Golden Knights. It'll be good for Ryan Craig to get his feet wet and start piling up the wins. What better way to do this than by defeating a Mammoth team that's 4-5-1 in their last 10 games?
How the Vegas Golden Knights will beat the Utah Mammoth on Sunday
Last season, the Golden Knights saw a Mammoth team that was effective on the rush. They can fluster opposing defenses with blistering speed and can set up scoring chances in seconds. Containing Utah's speed will be vital for a Golden Knights victory on Wednesday.
Expect William Karlsson and Nic Dowd to have integral roles in Wednesday's game. Both are defensive-minded centers who can steer attackers away from the high-danger zone. Watch for them, especially since Dowd knows that Logan Cooley has a death wish.
But that also means the lower lines must step on and take the reins. Look for the third line of Ivan Barbashev, Tomas Hertl, and Victor Olofsson to take control in Wednesday's matchup. This is the group that can score in many ways, making them a problem for the Mammoth.
That also leads to the next point: The goaltending. One particular netminder hasn't been good this season, leaving a massive opening for the Golden Knights to strike. So who's Utah going with instead of this unnamed being? Sebastian Cossa.
How the Vegas Golden Knights can get past Sebastian Cossa
Getting past Karel Vejmelka is relatively easy this season. He has a GAA of 3.29 and a save percentage of .870 in 2026-27. But Cossa hasn't been much better, for he has a GAA of 3.30 and a save percentage of .871. Still, there's one massive difference to Cossa's game: Freezing the puck.
Goaltender | Rebounds Above Expected | Rebounds Per Save | XRebounds Per Save | Expected Puck Freeze | Puck Freezes Above Expected | Puck Freezes Per Save | Puck Freezes Above Expected Per Shot On Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sebastian Cossa | -0.018 | 0.04 | 0.058 | 28.75 | 18.25 | 0.158 | 0.12 |
Karel Vejmelka | -0.006 | 0.051 | 0.058 | 61.39 | 9.61 | 0.114 | 0.03 |
Cossa doesn't let as many rebounds loose as Vejmelka does, making him a trickier netminder. Therefore, the objective is getting him to bite and attack the high-danger zone.
If the Golden Knights can aggressively forecheck Utah and take control of puck possession, they'll be in a better place. That means getting Tomas Hertl involved and having him take away space. That also means getting Olofsson to shoot from the wing and create rebounds. Perhaps hitting the blockers will help?
Regardless, the Golden Knights need a strong game offensively. The good news is that Vegas's goaltending has been stronger in the past four games, giving them a solid advantage over Utah. Still, it's on the home team to take care of business with a good forecheck and taking away space against a fast Mammoth team.
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