Jack Eichel didn’t exactly light it up last week, and the Vegas Golden Knights are feeling that drop-off as much as anything else.
Over a three-game losing streak that has the team entering Monday searching for answers, Eichel managed just one goal. For a player chasing 100 or more points in a season, that’s a thin stretch, especially for a Vegas team that needs its star driving the bus if it wants to keep pushing toward franchise-record territory.
The cold spell hasn’t come in a vacuum. The power play has been basically absent, and Mitch Marner is having another child with his wife, Stephanie (congratulations, Mitch!). Put that together, and the Golden Knights have looked like a team without its groove.
Even so, Eichel’s season-long pace still points toward something big. He’s projected to finish with 120 points, including 38 goals and 82 assists.
Both totals would stand as franchise records if he keeps tracking the way he has. But a quiet week does make the chase to 100 feel a little less comfortable than it did before.
Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets was a chance to get right against a struggling opponent, and Eichel had chances. He fired six shots and didn’t find the net, but the activity level showed he’s still pushing for production.
That was a sharper contrast to Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, when he didn’t record a shot on goal and was also charged with a costly turnover that swung momentum in Tampa Bay’s favor. Still, he remains the heartbeat of the Golden Knights offense.
The schedule now gives him a pair of Eastern Conference matchups to work with. Vegas hosts the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, and Linus Ullmark won’t be available for Ottawa. The Senators have still put together a respectable start, sitting on 16 points and second in the Atlantic Division entering Monday.
Then comes another home date Friday against Connor Hellebuyck’s new squad, the New Jersey Devils.
Those two games arrive before Vegas heads into a difficult four-game Eastern Conference swing, so the margin for error gets even smaller from here. The games will be few and far between this week within the Realm, and that means every point carries extra weight.
Eichel has a history of bouncing back in a hurry. Vegas is counting on that again now.
In Other News...
Golden Knights Shuffle Forward Depth As Familiar Name Returns
The Golden Knights have tweaked their forward mix again, bringing up Jonas Rndbjerg from AHL Henderson while sending Alexander Holtz back down. It is a familiar kind of transaction for Vegas, where depth forwards often bounce between the NHL and AHL as the club looks for the right fit in the middle of the season.
Rndbjerg is no stranger to this role, having served as a frequent call-up in past seasons even though he has not yet appeared for Vegas this year. Holtz, meanwhile, got a brief look with the big club, skating in two games before heading back to the minors, leaving the Knights to keep sorting out the bottom of their forward group. [Read more 🡒]