Photo credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Mitch Marner has had a bit of trouble sealing the deal in Vegas this season, and his latest OT blunder shows that maybe the pressure is starting to get to him.
He’s still producing at a point-per-game pace, but hasn’t been that elite level player Vegas was expecting, and on pace for only 82 points; a 20-point dip from last year.
Mitch Marner’s shootout mishap another miscue from Vegas forward
That trend of losing it in OT has seemingly continued as the sure-handed Marner had issues against the New York Islanders, and it very likely helped cost the team the game.
Marner was the second shooter and while he normally has no problems keeping the puck on his stick, he tried one too many moves that led to him losing the puck before even having a shot at the net.
Knowing that both teams were unable to score after three shooters, and Shea Theodore losing the puck as well trying to pull off a deke, it led to the Islanders putting the game away.
He had a career 50% rate heading into this season (11-for-22) but has gone 0-4 since arriving in Vegas, and it’s yet another mistake on his early tenure with the Golden Knights.
Mitch Marner may be feeling the heat
The star forward may be feeling a little hot and not just because he’s in Nevada. Marner has shown that perhaps the pressures of being in a new environment and trying to be too good is leading to these mistakes.
Yes, he still has teammates to get used to and that chemistry will grow over time, but right now he’s on the second line, not contributing much on the power play (only seven points) and while the media spotlight isn’t as bright, he’s not immune to criticism.
There’s still a lot of time for Marner to turn it around, plus the Olympic break could be great for him if he can build momentum coming out of the tournament.
Vegas isn’t struggling despite Marner’s mishaps, as they sit second in the Pacific Division with a 14-6-9 record, however if you read between the lines; they have an overall losing record counting OT losses (14 wins, 15 losses).
It’s not completely up to Marner, but with Vegas putting in so much money and hope into him being the same star he was in Toronto, the first year has its growing pains. While expected, it’s been leading to a lot more losses than wins and that can’t be going over well with Golden Knights fans.
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