The Vegas Golden Knights opened their two-game road trip in the same ugly fashion they wrapped up their three-game homestand: with a blowout defeat.
On Wednesday night, Vegas fell 6-2 to the St. Louis Blues.
Dylan Holloway scored twice for St. Louis, and Joel Hofer stopped 27 shots.
For the Golden Knights, Jack Eichel found the net for the first time in three games, and Brett Howden added his fifth goal of the season. In goal, Adin Hill took his first loss of the year, allowing six goals on 31 shots for an .806 save percentage.
Eichel’s third-period goal cut the Blues’ lead to 3-2 and gave him his sixth of the season. Through 12 games, Vegas’ leading scorer has 19 points, putting him well ahead of the pace needed for a 100-point season. It’s still early, but another 90-point year looks very much in play if the Golden Knights can get back on track.
Hill’s night was a rough one, and the numbers tell the story. Before Wednesday, there had been a strange flip in the team’s goaltending picture: Carter Hart had been considered the top option entering the season, yet Hill had stayed unbeaten in his starts while Hart went 4-3-0 with an .888 SV%.
That balance got blown up in St. Louis.
Hill’s six-goal outing marked his worst SV% since Mar. 1, 2026 (.773 SV%), and it was his first six-goal game since Jan. 25, 2026, when he gave up seven against Ottawa.
The bigger concern for Vegas is how quickly the offense has gone quiet. During their three-game winning streak, the Golden Knights piled up 17 goals and allowed only six.
In their last two games, though, they’ve surrendered 12 while scoring just four. Wednesday’s result also marked the first time since the 2023-24 season that Vegas gave up six goals in consecutive games, following a 7-2 loss to Buffalo on Mar. 2, 2024, and a 6-3 loss to Columbus on Mar.
4, 2024. Coincidentally, the Blue Jackets are next on the schedule Saturday night.
Tomas Hertl is another name Vegas needs more from. He exploded for two goals and four points in the fourth game of the season, but then Victor Olofsson’s injury stripped away his linemate.
Against the Blues, Hertl had two shots on goal, but his production has dried up: the 32-year-old has only two points, a goal and an assist, over his last eight games. With Eichel, Mark Stone, and Mitch Marner not carrying the load every night, the Golden Knights need their secondary scorers to start pulling their weight.
Hertl is one of the players expected to do it.
In Other News...
Alexander Holtz Just Got Another Chance To Force Vegas Hand
The Golden Knights shuffled their roster again, opening the door for Alexander Holtz to get another look after his latest recall from Henderson. With Lukas Cormier placed on waivers and Parker Wotherspoon moved to injured reserve, Vegas created room to bring back a player whose path has already become one of the more intriguing subplots of the season.
Holtzs current stretch in the AHL has kept him in the conversation, even as his long-term fit in Vegas remains unresolved. As a restricted free agent, every shift he gets with the big club matters a little more, and this latest call-up gives him another chance to make the decision harder for the Golden Knights than it has been so far. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Get Encouraging Bowen Byram Update At Crucial Time
The Golden Knights have been shuffling their blue line again, recalling defenseman Ville Heinola from AHL Henderson for the third time in just over a week. He has still not made his NHL debut, but the repeated movement underscores how quickly teams are having to adapt as injuries and lineup uncertainty keep testing depth on the back end.
Around the league, a few injury updates are starting to shape the coming stretch. Calgary captain Mikael Backlund will sit out with an upper-body injury, Nashville forward Mavrik Bourque is nearing a return after missing four games, and Chicago got an encouraging sign with Bowen Byram continuing to progress and remaining day-to-day as he works back. For Vegas, those developments matter because every healthy defenseman and every available minute can become important in a tight race. [Read more 🡒]