(Photo Credit: @StLouisBlues on X/Twitter)

One of the hallmarks of Golden Knights hockey has been resiliency. Through each of the first nine seasons, they’ve been a tough team to extend leads on. To start the 2025-26 season, they were continuing to build on that pattern.

In the first 32 games of the season, VGK trailed by more than two goals on just four occasions, and half of them were because of a late empty net goal. They allowed three straight goals just six times in those 32 games.

However, in the last seven games, it has taken a turn for the worse.

It all started on the road in Calgary. VGK fell into 2-0 hole early, scored one to get it back to 2-1, but then conceded three more times to go behind 5-1. It was the first time all season they had fallen behind by four goals without allowing an empty netter. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be the last.

The very next night, in Edmonton, the Oilers blitzed Vegas with a 4-0 lead in the first 27 minutes. The Golden Knights fought back and made it interesting, but fell in regulation nonetheless.

A much-needed Sharks game righted the ship over Christmas break, but things have gotten worse since. VGK played well but lost to the best team in the league, Colorado, then fell into a 5-0 hole against Minnesota, allowed four straight to Nashville, and three goals in a row at St. Louis.

We’re just finding ways to lose games right now. Simple mistakes that we are usually on top of are ending up in the back of our net right now, and it’s hurting us. We have to clean that up. -Kaedan Korczak

In the past seven games, Vegas have been down by four or more goals on three separate occasions, after doing it just once (and only because of two empty netters in the same game) in their first 32 games. They’ve allowed three straight goals five different times, four straight three times, and five out of six once.

When stuff happens against us now lately, tough goals, we have to find a way to stop the bleeding. We have to play with more confidence. Everybody plays scared because it feels like if you do one mistake it’s in the net. -Tomas Hertl

This inability to “stop the bleeding” has led to a dismal stretch of 1-5-2, which has cost the Golden Knights dearly in the standings. Despite winning just 16 of the first 31 games, Vegas held the top spot in the Pacific both by points (41 to 39) and points percentage (.661 to .609) over Anaheim. The Kings, Oilers, Sharks, and Kraken were well behind in both categories.

Now, Edmonton have the lead by points (46 to 45), and VGK’s points percentage has dipped more than 80 “points” to .577. They still have the lead in the pathetic Pacific, but it’s much closer than it has been, and there are suddenly five challengers instead of just one as it looked in mid-December.

It really is simple. Stop the bleeding inside of games, and it’ll stop in the bigger picture as well.