Are the Vegas Golden Knights trending back to the mean of being, well, streaky? It seems like that to some fans after an embarrassing 7-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Sunday. Mind you, this was against the worst team in the Atlantic Division.
Now? They must head to Montreal in a French-speaking country to take on the Montreal Canadiens. Yes, the cold, wintery hell never ends for the Golden Knights, who are ending a rough four-game road trip with a trip to Quebec. Oh man, it can't get any worse, aside from the fact that Montreal is a playoff team, unlike Ottawa.
What if Adin Hill starts again, only to be distracted by the need to save conjoined twins? What if the blue line doesn't show up again? Will Golden Knights fans put the flames to the netminders for saving the planet instead of doing their jobs? Man, do we live in chaotic times.
But fear not, dear reader. There's a bona fide game plan for the Golden Knights to defeat the Canadiens on Tuesday. They can end their four-game road trip on a high note if they exploit this one glaring weakness constantly.
The Vegas Golden Knights' power play can feast on a Montreal Canadiens team that takes lots of penalties
Entering Monday's slate of games, the Montreal Canadiens have been bad boys. Literally. They have the fourth-most penalty minutes (554) and have the 26th-best penalty kill in the NHL (76.5%). Those numbers should leave a ripe opportunity for the Golden Knights to revive their patented attack.
Again, that keyword is "should." This past week, the Golden Knights have seen that power play attack score twice in 14 opportunities. Of course, half of those chances came against the Philadelphia Flyers, where they cashed in once.
So, here's what the Golden Knights must do differently: stop passing the puck so much. You have all the pieces you need to be successful (and then some) and pounce on this opportunity. Here's the other thing: Montreal will do this to themselves and kill any momentum they have.
When I traveled to Montreal to watch them take on the Red Wings, it was a continuous pattern. In fact, the Red Wings got five power play opportunities and even cashed in on one, thanks to Dylan Larkin. Vegas can't get too pass-happy as they did against Philadelphia.
Instead, they must rely on their weapons to make a difference. Names like Tomas Hertl and Pavel Dorofeyev come to mind as they continue their ever-growing race for power play supremacy. But that also means drawing penalties. Mitch Marner drew a great penalty on a breakaway on Sunday that led to a penalty shot. Get more opportunities like these and Vegas can end this four-game trip on a high note.
Ironically, this was also said about the Senators heading into Sunday's game. Fans know what happened in that fateful game: nothing but mass hysteria and dogs and cats living together. The Golden Knights better hope that this isn't the case on Tuesday when they face the Habs.