If you look at the Vegas Golden Knights roster on paper, you wouldn’t believe that they’re struggling the way they are. Between Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Tomáš Hertl, Mark Stone, and Pavel Dorofeyev, they shouldn’t struggle to score.

However, hockey isn’t played on paper. Talented as they are, the Golden Knights have won just five of their last 17 games. They’ve lost four straight, and in those four games, they’ve scored just eight goals.

The Golden Knights are struggling to score, but they aren’t struggling to generate offense. In their past four games, they’ve generated 57 high-danger chances. The problem is that right now, they can’t seem to finish their chances.

“[Pavel Dorofeyev] hit the crossbar against Ullmark, hit the crossbar against Vejmelka,” said Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy on Saturday. “He’s had his looks, they just haven’t gone in. Little bit of tough puck luck, I think. He’s not the only one that’s had some tough puck luck.”

Dorofeyev is far from the only player struggling to score. After starting the season strong, the Golden Knights’ team shooting percentage has fallen to 8.26%– 26th in the league.

“I would think that over time, [the team shooting percentage] will correct itself,” said Cassidy. “It should; we have plenty of goal scorers in there. It’ll be a concern if it goes on for another month, let’s say. But right now, I would say that we’re in one of those runs where it’s post and out, crossbar and out instead of in.”

So, what is Cassidy’s message to the team? What do coaches say when their team is generating chances, but no one can put the puck in the back of the net? Easy– keep playing the right way. 

“I think we’re always trying to build the rebound, deflection part of our game in tight,” Cassidy began. “The numbers we look at for generation have been better than the second ten games. Is it always going to result in goals? Well, it should, eventually, if you keep doing it. That’s the message, ‘Keep doing it, even though you’re not seeing the rewards now.’

“I do believe our offensive numbers, if you look throughout the actual generation, are pretty good, but the finish isn’t,” Cassidy continued. “I’ve always said, ‘If you’re getting your chances and not scoring, that’s okay. If you’re not getting your chances, okay, we’ve got a problem, and we’ve got to fix that.’

“You don’t want to get married to analytics and say ‘Oh, we’re winning that battle,’ because the game’s played on the ice,” Cassidy finished. “But the numbers have been pretty good. So, the message is ‘The numbers have been pretty good, let’s stick with it… Stay inside and get a lucky one or two, and sometimes that’s what gets you going. Don’t turn down shots, because we’re due for one to go through some legs and off a leg and in.’”

The Golden Knights have a tendency to overpass instead of taking the shot. Cassidy knows this.

“You have to bear down on those [chances],” he said on Saturday. “Make sure you don’t give away a chance that might be a good one. Be ready to shoot the thing through the frigging net if you have to.”

Even the best teams struggle over the course of an 82-game season. There’s no panic in the locker room, and there’s no panic from Cassidy, either. 

“There’s a lot of hockey left here,” said Cassidy. “These are not the homestands we’ve wanted in November; we’ve played some good road games to make up for some of that. We’re playing through a little bit of adversity, but it should make us stronger down the road… You’ve got to try to find the positives in things, and right now, that’s the message.”