I bet you're feeling the high of Wednesday's win over the Detroit Red Wings. The Golden Knights had one of their patented third periods of 2025-26, scoring two goals and landing an overtime winner, courtesy of Tomas Hertl. Sounds good, right?
Well, there's a looming homestand with the Minnesota Wild and the Edmonton Oilers. Although the Oilers have similar problems to the Golden Knights, they still have those two guys looming large. Then, there's the Wild, who have won seven of their last 10 games. While some people have turned on Quinn Hughes for... reasons, the team still has plenty of dominant players to cling onto.
That includes Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov, two names that caused endless nightmares for the Golden Knights last season. During the postseason, they combined for 16 points (10 goals and six assists), giving Adin Hill endless PTSD. Yes, the Golden Knights might've beaten Minnesota last season. But 2025-26 is a different beast.
But the Golden Knights can still build off their momentum from Wednesday's game. Obviously, you want to take some crucial lessons from Wednesday's shocking victory (against a playoff-position team, no less!) and apply it to Friday's game. That starts with doing one thing against Minnesota... and actually sticking with it.
The Golden Knights must get the first goal against the Minnesota Wild
Yes, it sounds cliché, especially here. But here's a fun fact: the Golden Knights have been outscored in the first period, 5-1, in their last four games. Slow starts have been a massive problem for Vegas this season. However, there was a promising sign that came from Wednesday's game.
Reilly Smith scored the game's first goal with under two minutes to start the game. It was a promising sign for a Golden Knights team normally accustomed to starting on the wrong foot. Suddenly, the team put the opponent on their heels, leaving them to suddenly scramble offensively.
Believe it or not, that played into Adin Hill's favor. The netminder got comfortable after the first period chaos, not allowing a goal since that frame. In turn, the Golden Knights could settle into their game and apply endless offensive pressure on Detroit. The result? A 4-3 overtime win and everyone heads home happy (and Jack Eichel can finally find a change of jeans, thank goodness).
That logic applies here for the Golden Knights as well. The Wild have only scored one first period goal in their last three games, leaving them open for some Vegas offense. While they've been effective at stopping goals from flooding in (they've allowed one goal in that span), all the Golden Knights need is a couple of shots to bounce their way. If some shots start falling, life becomes much easier.
That's especially true against a team like the Oilers, who still have defensive issues. Sure, they got Connor Murphy. However, they're also lacking in the overall defensive department, leaving offensively inclined teams to have an open season. That includes Vegas, which could use some goals on the brief two-game homestand. Maybe some Eichel and Hertl could help?
By the way, road game at Dallas on March 10. Be ready.