If you're the Vegas Golden Knights right now, you don't want to be stuck in a rut. You're subjected to listening to CapNNumbNutzz on X mocking your team with his hundreds of botted likes as his Utah Mammoth shut your team out on Thursday. Man, it's not a good time to be in the Pacific Division right now.
What's worse is that you have an upcoming three-game road trip through the Central Division. That means facing off against the Nashville Predators, the Dallas Stars, and the Winnipeg Jets. Sounds daunting, right?
Well, yeah, it does. Being 3-7-0 in your last 10 games isn't something to sing home about. You've played a mediocre brand of hockey that isn't up to the Las Vegas standard. People were expecting a Stanley Cup soufflé, only to get a microwaved poo-poo platter that Gordon Ramsay would throw at your face.
So... How do you correct this?
Let's start with the Predators, who've become the NHL's version of Joe Hendry. They still believe, even after a huge fire sale (think Cole Smith) at the trade deadline. In fact, they're a point out of the wild card standings, leaving fans to root for a comeback story. But that's not the only reason why they're dangerous.
Why should the Golden Knights be careful with the Predators on Saturday?
If you remember the New Year's Eve game between Vegas and Nashville, it was a shining example of what appeared to go right for the Golden Knights. They jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, thanks to goals from Mark Stone and Ben Hutton. But something disastrous happened: the uglier side of the first period struck.
That came in the form of three unanswered first-period goals from the Predators, leading to the Golden Knights falling apart like a bad country ballad. That meant bad penalties from Vegas, Reid Schaefer getting the game-winning goal, and Nashville unleashing its depth scoring.
That last point is part of Saturday's looming problem. How can Vegas combat a hungry underdog that has random goal scorers coming after you? Well, look at the next contest between these two teams for the correct answer.
How the Vegas Golden Knights can get back on track on Saturday
If you want some perspective on the January 17 matchup between both clubs, the Predators capitalized on the slow-starting Golden Knights in the first period. Luke Evangelista got Nashville on the scoreboard first, thanks to applied pressure from the Predators' forecheck. But how Vegas responded afterwards set the tone for the rest of the game.
That came in the form of explosive depth scoring, with goals coming from Alexander Holtz (!) and Shea Theodore. I know! Goals from the blue line and a lower-line winger! How crazy is that?!
Here's the real kicker, though. Vegas got goals from nearly every department, ranging from top-line guys (think Mitch Marner and Pavel Dorofeyev) to grinders (think Keegan Kolesar and Cole Reinhardt). If the Golden Knights can get that type of production on Saturday and combine that with efficient goaltending, maybe the Golden Knights can start believing in themselves.