Golden Knights Searching for Consistency as Olympic Break Nears
The Vegas Golden Knights know their February 2027 date with the Dallas Stars at AT&T Stadium is already circled on the calendar, but right now, that feels like a world away. The focus is firmly on the present - and a Pacific Division race that’s far tighter than they’d like.
Thursday night’s 5-4 shootout loss to the Stars at T-Mobile Arena was another frustrating chapter in what’s become an uneven stretch for Bruce Cassidy’s group. Despite sitting atop the Pacific - now tied with the surging Oilers at 64 points - Vegas is technically below .500 at 25-14-14. That’s 14 overtime or shootout losses, and they’re feeling every one of them.
For a team with this much talent - Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Mitch Marner, Tomas Hertl, Shea Theodore, Noah Hanifin, and Pavel Dorofeyev among others - the 1-6 shootout record is hard to ignore. And Cassidy isn’t sugarcoating it.
“You’ve got to take care of freakin’ business out there,” he said postgame. “It’s pretty simple.”
That frustration boiled over in a rare move from the veteran coach. With his team trailing 4-1 after two periods, Cassidy pulled the plug on the usual between-period routine and held a video session right there in the locker room.
“It’s strange in the NHL to do it mid-game,” he admitted. “I don’t know if I’ve done that in 10 years. But if that’s what it takes to get their attention…”
To their credit, the Knights responded. Reilly Smith sparked the comeback with a shorthanded goal early in the third.
Ivan Barbashev, who had gone 16 games without scoring, broke the drought with just over six minutes left to make it 4-3. And with under a minute to go, Marner rifled a wrist shot from just inside the blue line that pinged off the bottom of the crossbar and in, sending the game to overtime.
But once again, the extra point slipped through their fingers. Stone had a golden chance late in OT but couldn’t finish. In the shootout, Dorofeyev and Eichel came up empty, while Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen buried theirs for Dallas.
Goaltending has been a hot-button issue all season in Vegas, and it’s easy to see why. Adin Hill, Akira Schmid, and Carter Hart have all had their moments, but none have truly seized the crease.
Schmid’s been steady in a backup role, but this isn’t just about the guys in the blue paint. The play in front of them has been inconsistent at best.
Jeremy Lauzon, acquired from Nashville in the Nic Hague trade, has had a rocky adjustment period, though he’s looked more comfortable lately alongside Theodore. Thursday was a mixed bag - he took a tripping penalty and then missed a breakaway chance. Zach Whitecloud is now in Calgary, Brayden McNabb hasn’t played in January and won’t be back until after the Olympic break, and Alex Pietrangelo remains on long-term injured reserve - a necessary move to facilitate the Marner deal, but one that’s left a leadership void on the back end.
Even with some veterans out, Cassidy’s system demands a full-team commitment to defense. That means forwards backchecking with urgency and defensemen keeping opponents away from the high-danger areas. Lately, that cohesion has been hit or miss.
“We’re getting healthier,” Cassidy said. “We’re missing faceoff people - Karlsson, Howden, Sissons - but we’re trying to make it work. You’ve got to help as a group.”
Cassidy pointed to a few costly turnovers and a lack of urgency in transition. “We need some saves to put out fires,” he said.
“Hilly had some of those tonight. That’s part of the equation.”
Hill’s performance Thursday was a microcosm of his season - a mix of highlight-reel stops and frustrating lapses. He gave up four goals to the Stars, just days after surrendering seven in Ottawa.
He’s clearly still trying to find his rhythm. With four games left before the Olympic break, he’s expected to start two.
The hope is that the time off will allow him to reset and return sharper for the stretch run.
Vegas has now dropped five of its last six, the lone win coming in a 6-3 effort at Toronto. That skid has allowed Edmonton to catch up in the standings, though the Knights do hold two games in hand.
The pieces are still here. The talent is undeniable.
But if Vegas wants to make a serious push this spring, they’ll need more than flashes of brilliance. They’ll need consistency - in net, on the blue line, and up front.
And they’ll need to start collecting those second points that have been slipping away far too often.
As Cassidy put it, “I’ve got to fix the things that aren’t going well. I don’t know if it’s any one thing.”
Right now, it’s a little bit of everything.