Remembering when Jonathan Marchessault nearly broke William Karlsson's single-season goals record

Jonathan Marchessault was drastically close to breaking his fellow Misfit's single-season goals record. However, a particular month changed everything.
Vegas Golden Knights v Seattle Kraken
Vegas Golden Knights v Seattle Kraken | Steph Chambers/GettyImages

William Karlsson's single-season goals record with the Vegas Golden Knights has withstood the test of time. He's endured a rush of players gunning for his record, including Pavel Dorofeyev and Jonathan Marchessault. Yet, the record persists to this day.

However, that doesn't mean that the record has had some challengers. In fact, one particular season stands out above the rest: Jonathan Marchessault's 2023-24 campaign. Isn't it ironic that Karlsson's fellow Misfit would try and break the record?

Yet, that was the case. Marchessault scored 42 goals that year, falling one goal short of his fellow Misfit's mark. It was akin to Eichel's pursuit of being the first 100-player in Golden Knights history last season. Plenty of fans thought he had it in the bag before one particular month showed up.

That's usually the case for any obstacle that we run into in life. Sometimes, life takes a different turn that what you hoped for and leaves you short of the goal.

Oh well *shrugs*. Another person will break the record.

But Marchessault's run deserves another glimpse, particularly with that one month. Where did he fall short of the record?

April was the month that tripped up Jonathan Marchessault's pursuit of the single-season record

40 goals. That's where Jonathan Marchessault was heading into the final month of the 2023-24 season. It seemed like he had this in the bag with an average month. Considering the Misfit had months where he scored six to eight goals, it was more than obtainable for that period.

And he got off on a good start! April 2nd, 2024, against the Vancouver Canucks was a big game for Marchessault. He scored a goal and two assists that game, leading Vegas to a 6-3 victory. However, that's where the fun stopped.

The Golden Knights had a three-game road trip that started with the Arizona Coyotes (R.I.P.). This was when Vegas had a 4-1 lead heading into the third period, mind you. Yet, this wasn't their best game.

The Golden Knights were outshot, 32-24, and allowed six unanswered goals. Most of all, Marchessault didn't strike gold despite having three shots on goal.

Marchessault wouldn't have any goal luck throughout April

In fact, he had five shots on goal in all three road games, only mustering one assist. His last goal would come on April 12 against the Minnesota Wild, where he chipped in one in a 7-2 victory.

The last three games saw Marchessault basically be non-existent, with only one assist and 10 shots on goal. Mind you, his time on ice was over 18 minutes for each game.

That translated to a postseason run that fell far from his Conn Smythe campaign. Marchessault had two goals and two assists in his first four games against the Dallas Stars. However, he went silent in the last three games, leading to Vegas being eliminated in seven.

Fans will wonder which games would've given him the record if he had two or more goals. Some will even point to October being cold, especially after scoring three goals in the first month. However, "what-ifs" will never supersede the reality that's given to the rest of us.