Remember when the Vegas Golden Knights won their first Stanley Cup? They fulfilled a magical promise from Bill Foley six years prior while establishing Las Vegas as a hockey town. The Golden Knights also established themselves as an NHL power, following that up with big names like Noah Hanifin, Mitch Marner, and Tomas Hertl coming to town.
Ah, simpler times. Believe it or not, their vanquished opponent was the Florida Panthers. Those same Panthers would follow Vegas's suit and win two straight Stanley Cups, establishing themselves as a bona fide power in the process.
Isn't it funny how life works?
Ironically, this season hasn't been too kind to Florida. Like a hurricane, injuries have wrecked the team, with big names like Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov missing action. If that wasn't enough, Tomas Nosek is also missing from action with knee problems, leaving the kitties licking their wounds.
The result? A 4-5-0 record and eight points. Surprisingly, they're in a playoff spot since they're third in the Atlantic Division. However, it's early in the season and teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning haven't woken up yet. That could be a problem for a struggling Panthers team facing the Golden Knights on Saturday.
But is Saturday's game as easy as Vegas thinks it is? I mean, these are the defending champions we're talking about here. They still have prominent names like Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett playing for them. In fact, Florida could be trickier to handle aside from those two names alone.
Why Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights can't take the Florida Panthers lightly
As mentioned, these are the defending champions we're talking about here. They're playing at home and are 3-1-0 in Sunrise this season. The last two seasons have seen the Panthers go 53-25-4. While Florida is starting off slow, part of that has been because they simply can't win on the road (1-4-0).
Of course, Brad Marchand has been electric for the Panthers, too. He has five goals and five assists entering Saturday's game, proving that age is just a number for the 37-year-old. But he's not the only Panther putting up solid numbers. Anton Lundell (two goals and five assists) and Mackie Samoskevich (two goals and four assists) have also been productive.
Fans might look at Florida and wonder where prominent names like Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe have been. Well, both Reinhart (three goals and one assist) and Verhaeghe (two goals and one assist) have started slow. However, the duo has an innate ability to go off at any given time, making them legitimate threats.
Don't forget about Bennett (one goal and one assist) and Aaron Ekblad (one goal and two assists) being thrown in the mix. Both stars haven't gotten it going yet for the Panthers. Considering the Golden Knights are patching things up at goaltender, Saturday's game could quickly get messy.
What can the Golden Knights do to grab a key road victory?
First, lean on your power play. Jack Eichel has orchestrated the unit perfectly so far, leading Vegas to have the second-best unit (32.1%), adding eight assists. However, he's still searching for his first power play goal in 2025-26. After all, you don't sign an eight-year extension without scoring power play goals.
What better way to do this than against an average penalty kill (77.4%, tied for 15th)? Losing Barkov hurts Florida badly, leaving them without a bona fide exit-master. Watch for Eichel and Dorofeyev to have electric games.
In fact, offense should be the name of the game period. Eichel's the league leader in points entering Friday's slate of games (16), so he'll be the main focus. But what about names like Mitch Marner (10 points) and Dorofeyev (seven goals)? These players can't be forgotten, either.
Winning the possession battle and controlling the offensive tempo will be vital for Vegas to start its East Coast trip right. The Golden Knights can make a statement and win big by feasting on a wounded carcass. Just don't underestimate them, please.