All it took was one period for Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, and the Vegas Golden Knights to demolish the Los Angeles Kings. It started with Eichel's patented snipe, followed by a Mark Stone backhand and a Pavel Dorofeyev power play goal (what else is new?). After that, the rest is history, as they say. Like, Olympic-sized history for an Olympic-sized beatdown.
Adin Hill had his best game of the season, stopping 32 of 33 shots. The result? A 4-1 win that was over in the first period and put the Golden Knights four points ahead of the Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division. Mind you, Vegas has a game in hand over Edmonton, which provides them with a little breathing room. Also, Mitch Marner added a goal!
On top of that, they killed off all five Kings power plays. That's a testament to how strong the unit has been all season, especially when they ranked 10th in the NHL entering Thursday (80.6%).
But that leaves one burning question for fans: are the Golden Knights... back? Dare we say that b-word just before we take a few weeks off for the Olympics. However, there are plenty of reasons why this team has the potential to erupt. After all, they played perhaps their most complete game on Thursday, leaving no doubt in the first period.
Why the Vegas Golden Knights are back after demolishing the Los Angeles Kings
The Golden Knights have struggled to put together complete games throughout the 2025-26 season. They've relied on a heavy dose of comebacks and one-goal victories to carry them, leaving some fans worried. However, that wasn't the case after Vegas literally took the first period and ran with it.
Hill did an excellent job of using his size in net, ensuring that nothing got past him. This is a vast improvement from, say, being so out of position that you need two skaters to tend the goal. I'm sure he got tired of Steve Dangle screaming in his ear.
Geez, man. Don't try and hurt the bloody man, eh?
But that's not the only reason why the team can successfully build off this. Vegas is expected to get Brayden McNabb back after the Olympic break and should have more reinforcements closer to returning. Think Colton Sissons and Brandon Saad adding lower-line depth for the Golden Knights.
The Golden Knights need to do more than put together complete games, though
Putting together complete games like the one they had on Thursday isn't the only solution for the Golden Knights. Heck, using one period to explode and run away with the game is only good if you only do it for one game. You need to string together a couple of games and go on a strong run.
That's especially true when you've struggled to get off to fast starts all season. One can point to the slow starts experienced against the Dallas Stars and the Boston Bruins as shining examples for the season. Vegas dug itself too deep a hole in those situations, leaving the team to miss out on crucial points.
If the Golden Knights can get back to their identity of blocking shots and forechecking to start the game, there's no telling how far this team can go. Adding key pieces like McNabb to the mix will certainly help the team, giving them a more complete squad. Who knows? Maybe, that one period will snowball into a full-blown run, similar to the seven-game winning streak they recently had.