It seems like the Vegas Golden Knights should be up on the Utah Mammoth, 2-0. The team has more experience and has been in such high-stakes situations before. The Mammoth? Well, you can't say that about them, even when they were in Glendale, Arizona, and served as the Arizona Coyotes.
However, that's not the case as the Golden Knights are tied with the Mammoth at one game apiece. Vegas lost Tuesday's game against Utah, 3-2, with the series shifting over to Salt Lake City. Believe it or not, this isn't by mere luck or happenstance.
Instead, it was caused by mental errors that plagued the team on Tuesday. We're talking about bad deflections and not playing the puck properly. Of course, this is just scratching the surface. The team had more issues that people don't know about.
Heck, even John Tortorella admitted it himself, saying that the first period wasn't as good as he'd hoped. Here's what went wrong in Game 2 for the Golden Knights and how Vegas can manage Utah much better in Game 3.
What went wrong for the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 on Tuesday against the Utah Mammoth
Fans will point to a particular goal that involved Noah Hanifin and Rasmus Andersson. It involved the puck bouncing off of Hanifin to get redirected by Carter Hart, ONLY to be kicked in by Andersson.
Of course, that wasn't the only gaffe committed by Andersson. He also tossed the puck over the glass for a delay of game penalty. While the Mammoth didn't score on the ensuing power play, it wore Vegas down enough to where Utah eventually took the lead.
Errors like that gave Utah enough life to tie the series and claim home-ice advantage from the Golden Knights. Fans can't forget that the Mammoth base their entire attack on speed and generating takeaways. If Utah grabs hold of one error and the Golden Knights make one at the worst time, that could come back to haunt them.
The Golden Knights must do better at playing a cleaner game against the Utah Mammoth in Game 3
Look, this wasn't going to be a cakewalk for the Golden Knights. They knew that they were facing a team that would come at them fast and hard. In turn, the veteran team would be on their toes, trying to fend off the middle of the ice from Utah.
However, the Golden Knights must clean up their end of the ice, too. They had the eighth-most giveaways per game this season, totaling 16.12. While the number went down under Tortorella, that doesn't mean that Vegas shouldn't be more careful with the puck.
The good news? Utah had the second-most giveaways per game this season with 16.45. Their style might be fast on the rush, yet it's also reckless. If there's one thing that the Golden Knights should do, it's keep the Mammoth off-balance and take as much space away as possible. Of course, not kicking the puck into your own net helps, too.
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