There is one more opportunity for the Vegas Golden Knights to make something of what has been a ghastly road trip so far.
On Tuesday, the Golden Knights finish their first extended stay on the east coast and their first season series when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes.
So far, the Golden Knights have struggled to get to their game on this road trip, getting shut out 3-0 to the Florida Panthers before falling 2-1 in overtime to the Tampa Bay Lightning over the weekend. If they want to return to Vegas feeling good about where they are at this juncture of the season, coming away with a good effort will be crucial.
Here are some ways the Golden Knights can manage to come home with a .500 road trip in tow.
The Golden Knights’ playbook so far has not worked, and the last two games have been a clear indication.
In both games on this road trip so far, the Golden Knights have yet to reach 20 shots on goal. It was even worse against the Lightning, with 15 penalty minutes forcing head coach Bruce Cassidy to jumble the forward lines just to get everyone into the game. Puck management and 50/50 battles have been sore spots, as well.
Expect the road team to come in with a simplified gameplan, just to try and get and form of sustainable pressure for the first time in a while.
When the Golden Knights set out on the road, they held the NHL’s most potent offense and power play.
After scoring only one goal in the past two games, those numbers have unsurprisingly fallen hard. From first in the league, the Golden Knights have fallen down to ninth in both goals per game (3.44) and power play percentage (27.3%). While the absence of Mark Stone has certainly had an impact on the effectiveness of certain aspects, the team has too many options on offense to go cold for too long.
Tonight, the Hurricanes become the first team that the Golden Knights finish their season series against.
The first game at T-Mobile Arena went well for the Golden Knights, securing a 4-1 victory over the Hurricanes on Oct. 20. Despite injuries to Stone and starting goaltender Adin Hill, the Jack Eichel-led first line and Akira Schmid were able to steady the ship and impress in the matchup. While the Hurricanes team they face features a couple of players on point streaks in Sebastian Aho (who scored Carolina’s lone goal against Vegas) and Nikolaj Ehlers, they still face several injuries on defense despite the expected return of Shayne Gostisbehere.
If the Golden Knights are able to leave Raleigh with a sweep over one of the NHL’s elite teams, it would be the type of victory that can get momentum going back in the right direction.