Sometimes, it is hard to get up. You run into a mini-funk that robs you of all vitality, leaving you to dread every single day. It's not fun and it's something the Vegas Golden Knights are currently losers of four of their last five games.
How do you break out of said funk when the Edmonton Oilers are tied for you in the Pacific Division with 61 points? Do you sacrifice a couple of chickens to turn around your luck? Perhaps getting a voodoo doll of Connor McDavid and sticking a few needles in him will do the trick (save that for playoff time). Whatever the case, Tomas Hertl and company need a solution and fast.
Luckily, the Chicago Blackhawks are next on the docket. They've won two of their last 10 games, going winless in their past four contests. They're also dead-last in the Central Division with 31 points entering Saturday, making them prime bait for two points.
But here's the thing, dear reader. Such games are harder than they appear, given the team's recent woes. When your main source of goals comes from four players in the last five games, that's a problem. You're also coming off a back-to-back, with a demoralizing 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday bogging you down.
Still, it's time to predict this game and map out a pathway to victory. What must the Golden Knights do to salvage one game from a surprisingly long three-game roadtrip? How can they overcome the fellow member of the struggle bus, the Blackhawks? Let's dive into the numbers and see where they lead, shall we?
Predicting the Vegas Golden Knights and Chicago Blackhawks
The Vegas Golden Knights haven't scored a first-period goal in their last five games. They last did this on January 7 against the San Jose Sharks, where they scored twice. Therefore, getting that proverbial monkey off your back and scoring first is a must for the Vegas Golden Knights.
The special teams must continue to shine as well, specifically the power play. They've scored five goals in the last four games on the unit, breaking free of their slump from a few weeks ago. Suddenly, the Golden Knights are finding goals from players not named Tomas Hertl and it's helping them stay competitive.
However, staying competitive isn't enough as the Golden Knights must find other players to score goals. As mentioned, four different players scoring in the past five games is unacceptable. Perhaps Bruce Cassidy will shake up the lines and try something different. He bumped Alexander Holtz out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Hurricanes, replacing him with Cole Schwindt. Who knows what he has cooked up for Saturday?
With that, it's prediction time. Considering the circumstances involving a back-to-back and the Golden Knights in a mini-slump, this game will be closer than people anticipate. It's hard to be sure of a team's victory when they've lost four of their last five games. But the Chicago Blackhawks are struggling as well. Therefore, this game will go into overtime, where the team that struggles less will win. That should be Vegas in a 4-3 shootout victory.