The Golden Knights’ first loss of the season arrived fast, and it arrived ugly enough to sting.
Vegas fell 4-3 to the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night after a third-period push came up short, and the bigger issue was how long it took the Golden Knights to get involved at all. Their first goal didn’t come until midway through the third, long after Anaheim had built a 4-0 cushion. Carter Hart took some of the heat, as goalies usually do when a game gets away, but this one was never only on him.
The Knights spent too much of the night chasing. They were buried before they started to look like themselves, and by then the comeback window had narrowed to almost nothing.
Anaheim, once a team Vegas could treat as an easy two points, looked like something else entirely. The Ducks have a young core coming together and could be a division contender for the foreseeable future.
That makes the rest of the season series a lot more interesting, since these clubs still have three more meetings left.
The matchup also served as a reminder that the Pacific is already throwing curveballs. Vegas opened with a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Opening Night, but the first two games have produced back-to-back seven-goal outings.
At some point, the league settles down and the defensive games start to take over again. Anaheim managed to play that kind of tighter hockey for 40 minutes, and Vegas did not.
Now the Golden Knights turn to a two-game trip to the Pacific Northwest, starting Sunday in Vancouver. The Canucks are in the middle of a major rebuild after finishing with the lowest point total in the NHL last season, but they have already shown some bite. In their first two games, they went 1-1 against the Oilers, a team with real Stanley Cup expectations.
That sets up a tricky stretch for Vegas, with Ryan Craig facing a decision between Carter Hart and Adin Hill. The question is whether Hart starts against the Canucks and Seattle Kraken or Hill gets his first start of the season. Either way, the margin for error is thin, and if the Golden Knights don’t treat these games properly, they could leave the trip with more questions about a slow start.
In Other News...
Golden Knights Show How Dangerous They Look When They Keep Pressing
Vegas leaned on the kind of pressure that has made it such a difficult matchup when it is locked in, turning a one-goal edge into a comfortable 5-2 win over Nashville. The Golden Knights carried a 3-2 lead into the third period, then kept attacking instead of sitting back, with the defensemen chipping in five points and helping drive the offense from the back end.
The penalty kill was just as important, going 3-for-3 and helping swing momentum at key moments as the game tightened. It was the sort of night that showed how dangerous this group can look when it keeps pressing, and the players and coach pointed to that third-period push and the special teams work as the difference. [Read more 🡒]
Trevor Connelly Is Giving Vegas Fans A New Calder Reason To Watch
Trevor Connelly has quickly turned himself into one of the early storylines of the NHL season in Vegas, and the Golden Knights have rewarded the rookie winger with real responsibility. He has already found the net three times, including a recent one-timer set up by Noah Hanifin, and his early production has given the club another layer of offense to lean on while fans get a fresh reason to keep an eye on the rookie race.
What makes the start even more interesting is where the Golden Knights have chosen to use him. Connelly is getting chances in meaningful spots alongside veteran talent, a sign that Vegas sees more than just energy and curiosity in his game. With Calder Trophy talk already beginning to form around him, plus names like Roman Kantserov and Gavin McKenna in the conversation, Connelly is giving this season a new subplot worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Adin Hill Looks Different And Vegas Fans Have Every Reason To Care
Adin Hills start to the 2026-27 season has given the Golden Knights something they badly needed: a steadier look in goal. After a difficult 2025-26 campaign marked by lower-body injuries and uneven play, Hill has opened this season with a save percentage above .900 and a 2.27 goals-against average over three starts, a much healthier sign for a team that leans heavily on goaltending to set its tone. His shootout work against the Toronto Maple Leafs stood out, too, offering a reminder of how impactful he can be when he settles into the game.
What has made the early returns notable is not just the numbers, but the way Hill is playing. Observers have pointed to a return to the calmer, more size-driven style that made him effective in the first place, staying composed after conceding goals instead of chasing the game. Vegas has been looking for that version of Hill, and with the season still young, the bigger question is whether this is a real reset or just a strong opening stretch. [Read more 🡒]