The stats don't lie. The Vegas Golden Knights have been outplayed in the first period of this series, 6-2. It's how the Minnesota Wild have gotten the jump on Vegas in the series. They've capitalized on numerous miscues and turnovers to leave the favorites speechless.
The result? A 2-1 series lead and Las Vegas panicking like Lake Mead just ran out. Once the Golden Knights got into a hole, they weren't able to climb out of it. Thank goodness the NHL has a best-of-seven series for each matchup. Otherwise, there would be mass hysteria throughout Sin City.
Of course, this is nothing new. Fans can point to numerous instances where the Golden Knights started slow. There's November 30, when the Utah Hockey Club jumped to a 4-0 lead after the first period. There was also January 9, when the Islanders scored the game-winning goal... in the first period.
All these instances indicate a team that better get up and get hard on Saturday. Otherwise, they'll limp back to Las Vegas. Nobody wants these guys getting the clubs out before May.
Fans are wondering how this can be fixed. Is there a remedy to this issue? Maybe some rest and McDonald's will fix the issue. Who doesn't love a Happy Meal? But in all seriousness, a couple of adjustments and fixes will make this a new series. It'll also relieve the panic and hysteria settling into T-Mobile Arena.
How the Vegas Golden Knights can get off to a fast start against the Minnesota Wild
First and foremost, the Golden Knights cannot be their own worst enemy. What started the Minnesota Wild's scoring blitz on Thursday was a "too many men" penalty in the first period. After that, Kirill Kaprizov capitalized and blew the roof off of Xcel Energy Center.
Have the referees made questionable calls during this series? Absolutely. Waving off an icing call that leads to a goal isn't the best look. That also goes for Ivan Barbashev's supposed embellishment call. It makes people think you'd be better off screwing over an NFL team with that. But part of Vegas's woes was three penalties in the first period.
This is uncharacteristic of a team that was the first NHL team to be called for fewer than 200 penalties in a season. Losing composure only leads to an avalanche (not from Colorado) of momentum from the other team. A lot of offensive zone time also helps.
Secondly, play smart hockey. Marco Rossi's goal on Thursday was the result of a missed assignment. Brayden McNabb didn't stick with his man and left Rossi alone in the high slot. That resulted in a deflating goal and a 2-0 deficit that Vegas can't climb out of.
The overall objective? Don't be your worst enemy. There are times when the Vegas Golden Knights beat themselves. That results in bad goals and unbearable momentum shifts. That must change on Saturday if Bruce Cassidy and company want the series tied. Otherwise, get the golf clubs ready.