1. Injuries devastated the Vegas Golden Knights
Injuries are a natural part of hockey. They happen in any sport, with high intensity and competitiveness ruling the roost. Some will say certain players get injured intentionally to come back during the playoffs. However, the Vegas Golden Knights were hit particularly hard by the injury bug during the 2023-24 season.
Some notable injuries that hurt the team include Jack Eichel and William Karlsson. These cases devastated the Golden Knights offensively, leading them to go 2-8-1 between February 12 and March 7. Without any offensive firepower, what's a hockey team to do?
It wasn't just the offense that suffered, though. Defensively, there were gaps left open almost every game and the Golden Knights struggled to play back. As a result, they allowed 46 goals in that same span. It made life harder for the goaltending, whether it was Adin Hill or Logan Thompson.
Who did the Vegas Golden Knights lose defensively? For one, Shea Theodore was out for three months with an upper-body injury. Not only did the Golden Knights lose a valuable defenseman, but they also lost a special teams asset. In turn, the defense suffered and Vegas lost its forechecking identity. Now, the Golden Knights are eliminated from the playoffs.