Did you know that the Vegas Golden Knights don't have a single win against the Seattle Kraken this season? I know, it seems incredibly bizarre (at least they haven't lost in regulation at Climate Pledge Arena in their franchise history). However, that's the case as Seattle has stolen two games in overtime and won the other in regulation by a goal.
It might seem like this is a bit of "Oh, well, the teams' directions are finally shifting." While that would've been true a couple of weeks ago, that's certainly not the case now. You see, Vegas is 6-0-1 since John Tortorella came on board, while Ron Francis "resigned".
Yet, Seattle still won in the last meeting, 4-3, in a shootout. A weird bounce and a misplay led to the Kraken "laying" their claim as the better expansion story. However, the Golden Knights are going to the postseason for the eighth time in nine seasons. Seattle? They're missing the postseason, watching teams like the Los Angeles Kings, the Anaheim Ducks, and the Edmonton Oilers partying with the Golden Knights.
Still, Wednesday offers Vegas with the perfect chance to win—and take the Pacific Division. Three things must happen for the Golden Knights to make that happen and take a game from the Kraken, though. Here are three things that must go down for Vegas to do this.
1.) Don't start Adin Hill
Now, this depends on how John Tortorella is feeling for the day. However, one thing is clear: the new head coach is focused on making Carter Hart his main starter. Since Tortorella came on board, the new Golden Knights bench boss has used Hart in five of seven starts.
Mind you, Hart has won all five starts under Tortorella. That has given Golden Knights fans plenty of hope with the goaltending. It doesn't matter if he's making incredible glove saves on Valeri Nichuskin or Nathan MacKinnon. Therefore, the premise is clear: start Hart.
2.) Cut back on the turnovers
Since Tortorella came on board, the Golden Knights have been much more careful with the puck. They've averaged 15.57 giveaways per game since the bench boss came on board, placing a heavier emphasis on taking care of the puck. The result? A 6-0-1 record since he came on board.
The Golden Knights had 18 giveaways in the last contest against Seattle, the third-most in the Tortorella era. That included a fatal error by Adin Hill that led to a goal (and eventually, a shootout loss). That will come into focus again on Wednesday, with Vegas looking for its first win against Seattle.
3.) Get Tomas Hertl going
Rasmus Andersson has gotten it going for the Golden Knights, getting more points as he's gotten more minutes. But what about another prominent player, Tomas Hertl? Where has he been in the past week or so?
Well, his cold streak goes beyond a streak. Since March 1, the Czech Olympian has only one goal and five assists. People are asking this question after seeing those numbers.
It certainly makes sense after seeing those statistics. Let's hope that Hertl picks it up in the final game and uses that as momentum.
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