When you look at the Vegas Golden Knights in recent weeks, there's only one word that can perfectly describe the team. But I'm gonna warn you that it's not the most glowing endorsement that you'll find (believe me, I've handed plenty of those out for the team in recent years).
Yeah, that's certainly appropriate when you've lost seven of your last eight games. As I told you, it's not a glowing endorsement for a team that has Stanley Cup aspirations. Instead, it's a point that's meant for the gazillions of trolls that have patiently waited for the Golden Knights' downfall.
However, there's a beacon of hope in the next two games. The Golden Knights will face off against the Chicago Blackhawks and the Winnipeg Jets. For those who don't know, the Blackhawks and the Jets are the two Central Division bottomfeeders with 39 points and 34 points, respectively.
Both teams are also on bad skids. The Jets enter Sunday with a nine-game losing streak, while the Blackhawks have won three of their last 10 games. With that comes a simple solution to turn a gloomy road trip into an absolute winner. I know it sounds rather cliche regarding what I'm going to say. But it still rings true.
The Vegas Golden Knights must get off on a fast start against the Chicago Blackhawks and the Winnipeg Jets... and hold onto it
Now, this has been a little trope that's been brought up in recent weeks. The Golden Knights get out to an early lead against, say, the Colorado Avalanche or the Nashville Predators. Everything's going good until the Golden Knights allow a goal.
Then, it snowballs into either a penalty or another goal. Suddenly, Vegas is backpedaling and they're feeling like the entire world is collapsing on them. They find themselves down 3-1, i.e. where they're in a deep hole. Golden Knights fans have seen how this team tries to escape from said holes this season and it's not a good place to be.
That was no different on Friday, when the Golden Knights gave up three straight goals against the St. Louis Blues. It was a combination of mental errors and paper-thin depth that did Vegas in, leaving the Blues to celebrate like Nelly was rapping "Country Grammar." Therefore, the objective sounds simple: don't give up the lead.
That means understanding that you have a team far more talented than either the Blackhawks or the Jets. Both teams have struggled to find their groove lately, whether it's without stars like Connor Bedard or due to overall mental miscues. The result has been disastrous hockey that has left both teams at the bottom. With that, the Golden Knights must cut down on the giveaways and the long-range shots.
Bruce Cassidy and the Golden Knights know this. They know that they have a loaded team, even with big names like Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore out. They know that there will be more questions than answers, should they lose to either (or both!) teams on the road trip. What's more, there could be questions for Cassidy and even Kelly McCrimmon themselves.