The Vegas Golden Knights and Columbus Blue Jackets are both looking to steady themselves after ugly 6-2 defeats, and Saturday’s meeting in Columbus comes with each team trying to clean up the same mess: too many mistakes and not enough stops.
Vegas arrives on a two-game skid after dropping back-to-back games to the Tampa Bay Lightning and the St. Louis Blues.
That’s a sharp contrast from the start of the season, when the Golden Knights, last season’s Stanley Cup Final team built on defense and goaltending, gave up just 24 goals over their first 10 games. In this current rough patch, they’ve allowed 12 goals in two games.
Jack Eichel, who leads the team with 19 points and 13 assists, didn’t sugarcoat what has gone wrong.
"A little bit," said Vegas center Jack Eichel, who leads the team with 19 points and 13 assists. "I feel like it's just sloppy play on our own part.
The last two hasn't been like us. I think it's a good opportunity for us all to look in the mirror and know we have to be better as a group, all five guys on the ice at a time, working with our goaltender.
"I don't want to say concerning because obviously we know we have it in this room, but you don't want to give up that many goals in back-to-back games. ... We as a team have to be better."
The Golden Knights had been far tighter defensively before this slide, allowing only six goals across their previous three games and giving up just four in one game twice.
Brayden McNabb echoed that frustration from the blue line.
"You don't want to give up six in back-to-back games," said veteran Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb. "We'll look at it and get better. A humbling last couple of games, so we'll get better."
Columbus, meanwhile, is trying to recover from its own 6-2 loss, one that came Tuesday against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs. The Blue Jackets were down 5-1 after two periods and still managed to outshoot Toronto 38-22, but the gap on the scoreboard never closed.
The loss left Columbus with just six points through its first eight games, and the team has dropped two straight while going 1-4-0 over its last five, with the lone win coming in a 1-0 overtime result against the New York Rangers on Oct. 17. Only Vancouver has fewer points in the league.
Rick Bowness has pointed to the same issues haunting the Blue Jackets: unnecessary penalties and turnovers. Columbus also enters Saturday stuck in an 0-for-20 drought on the power play, having not scored with the man advantage since its opener against Buffalo on Oct. 1.
After the defeat to Toronto, Bowness made it clear his patience is wearing thin.
"You go back to the Rangers game, we didn't turn the puck over," Bowness said. "Then the first (period), look at all the turnovers.
If it continues, people are going to start losing ice time. I'm going to have to bench some guys.
If they keep taking penalties, I'm going to have to bench them. That's bringing that on themselves.
"I'm out of patience with it. You want to keep saying 'I can make that play' and then not make it, and we end up playing a three-quarters ice game, then expect to lose some ice time."
In Other News...
Golden Knights Suddenly Have A Problem They Cant Keep Chasing
The Golden Knights latest setback looked familiar in the worst way, with a slow start leaving them chasing the game again before they ever had a chance to settle in. Vegas did manage to erase the early deficit in the first period, and Tom Hertl supplied the lone goal, but the response only got them so far in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Carter Hart did his part to keep the game within reach, stopping 18 shots, but the bigger concern is the stretch itself. Three straight losses can be shrugged off once in a while, yet the Golden Knights are starting to look like a team that is spending too much time recovering from its own mistakes instead of controlling games from the opening faceoff. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Face Early Road Trip Questions After Lopsided Loss
The Golden Knights first stop on this road trip brought an immediate reality check, as St. Louis controlled the night from the opening goal and rolled to a 6-2 win at Enterprise Center. Vegas had moments, including goals from Brett Howden and Jack Eichel, but the Blues kept answering, with Pavel Buchnevich, Justin Barron, Mason McTavish, Jimmy Snuggerud and Dylan Holloway all finding the net in a game the visitors never managed to pull back into reach.
For a team that expected to use this trip to settle in, the bigger question now is how quickly the Knights can reset before Saturdays matchup with the Blue Jackets. One lopsided loss does not define a road swing, but it does put a little extra attention on how Vegas responds after giving up the lead early and spending the rest of the night chasing. [Read more 🡒]
Jack Eichel Is Playing Like A Different Star For Vegas
Jack Eichels season has looked different in all the ways that matter most to the Golden Knights. He is on pace for a career-high 41 goals and could become the first Vegas player to hit 100 points in a single season, a marker that would put his offensive run in a class all its own for the franchise. What stands out is not just the volume, but the efficiency, with his shooting percentage climbing to 18.8 percent, the best of his career.
The bigger shift has been how he is getting there. Eichel has played with more aggression and sharper shot selection, and the fit around him has helped, with Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev giving Vegas a more dangerous look whenever the top line is rolling. Even without a power-play goal this season, Eichels production has taken on the shape of a true No. 1 star, and the Knights are benefiting from the version of him that attacks more often and finishes cleaner than before. [Read more 🡒]