Imagine this scenario, dear reader. You're progressing well through a video game, taking down boss after boss. Your character is Chance from the Vegas Golden Knights, which explains a lot. He's arguably the most indestructible mascot in all of sports. Sorry, Gritty. But you know it's true.
Anyway, you're chugging along through your video game when you encounter that one boss who you can't get past. No matter how hard you try, you can't seem to figure them out. It's like trying to beat a Metropolitan Division team in 2024-25. You can't seem to figure out these bad boys.
That's what the Golden Knights could encounter on Monday when facing the Los Angeles Kings. Los Angeles is 18-3-2 at Crypto.com Arena (or Staples Center, as I prefer to call it) this season. They've been impossible to beat in Hollywood, as proven by Vegas's 6-3 slip-up on October 30. Yeah, I know. Spooky time to play a team.
However, that's not the only haunting thing they'll face when facing off against the Kings on Monday. In fact, this particular stat has been part of why the Hollywood squad is in a playoff spot right now (67 points). It could pose a massive problem for Pavel Dorofeyev and crew entering Monday's game. What could end a three-game winning streak quickly?
The Los Angeles Kings are hard to score on
It's no secret that the Vegas Golden Knights know how to score. Led by Dorofeyev (23 goals), they're averaging 3.28 goals per game, good for being tied for sixth in the NHL. Of course, it helps to have an elite player like Jack Eichel (19 goals, 50 assists) lead the way. Still, he can't be the only player scoring all the goals and setting up scoring opportunities.
But the Los Angeles Kings are fifth in team GAA (2.54) and tied for ninth in team save percentage (.907). Part of that dominance is because of Kuemper, who's been a reliable No. 1 goaltender. He's fourth in the NHL in GAA (2.22) and fifth in save percentage (.918). Seeing this robust save on October 10, it's easy to see why he's been dominant this season.
DARCY KUEMPER WHAT?! #NHLFaceOff pic.twitter.com/YOLb5yMHrz
— NHL (@NHL) October 11, 2024
Yes, it's against the Buffalo Sabres, a team that even a peewee group can beat. However, it should remind Golden Knights fans of what Adin Hill did in Game 1 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. It locked the game down for his team, defeating the Sabres, 3-1.
Granted, they've allowed nine goals in two games against Vegas this season. That included a 6-1 rout on October 22. However, some players are missing right now. That includes Shea Theodore, who was instrumental in coordinating the offense with Eichel. Seeing the power play going 0-for-3 against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday showed fans what happened without him. Will they face Kuemper on Monday? Stay tuned.
Combine a stellar Kuemper with a shutdown checking unit and home-ice advantage and this will be a challenging test. Dorofeyev won't be the only player who needs to score on Monday. It will also take Ivan Barbashev to build off his momentum from Saturday's game. It will also take being aggressive in the offensive zone, which broke Kevin Lankinen (another uprising goaltender who got extended on Friday).