Wednesday Knight Wisdom: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas?

There seems to be some frustration growing among Vegas Golden Knights fans. After going 9-2-1 since March 9, the Golden Knights have suddenly lost three straight games. Everything around Vegas is collapsing, from the offensive pressure to its blue line.

But should Golden Knights fans truly panic? There are some plus sides to Vegas's current situation. What about the Blues, though? Should they have any hope of making the postseason?

Hope for the Vegas Golden Knights

Some good things are going for the Vegas Golden Knights despite their recent woes. For one, they just got Tomas Hertl in the lineup, which means more forward depth. The Czech superstar did register an assist in his first game on Monday, helping the Golden Knights on the power play.

There's also the schedule lightening up for the Golden Knights. Three of the last four games for Vegas are against eliminated teams. With these teams having nothing to play for, it should provide an opportunity for the Golden Knights to harvest points.

Compare that to St. Louis, who must face the Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars in two of their last three games. On top of that, the Golden Knights have a game in hand, meaning they can clinch sooner than later. Overall, things could be much worse for the Vegas Golden Knights. But that doesn't mean they shouldn't sleepwalk their way into the playoffs.

Meanwhile, in St. Louis...

The St. Louis Blues easily disposed of the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday, 5-2. They blitzed the Blackhawks with four goals in the first seven minutes, leaving Chicago's starting goaltender Petr Mrazek without a saved shot. Talk about being chased out of the building.

Currently, the Blues are three points behind the Golden Knights for the final playoff spot. But as mentioned earlier, St. Louis has a sizable gauntlet coming up. They'll have an uphill battle to climb to get into the postseason. However, with Vegas slipping in the past week, there's a slight window of opportunity.

Has Jonathan Marchessault Been Extended Yet?

No, he hasn't, despite having 41 goals this season (11th in the NHL). However, he got only one assist during the three-game road trip, marking him as a surprising absence from the score sheet.

Perhaps it's just a minor blip in the system. After all, the Conn Smythe winner is playing in a contract year. However, he's shown he can produce at a high clip. Plus, Golden Knight fans would love nothing more than to see Marchessault back in the gold next season.