1st period problems have been evident throughout the entire homestand with the Golden Knights allowing 13 goals in the opening frame in the last six games. However, that’s been a temporary problem. There’s a bigger problem that’s been going on all year, and it’s reared its ugly head these last three games.
Consecutive goals.
The Blues, Penguins, and Kings all scored at least three straight on the Golden Knights. In 13 separate games, Vegas has allowed the opposing team to score three or more consecutive goals. They are 2-10-1 in those games, and 1-6-1 at home.
Allowing 3+ consecutive goals
10/08/19: 4-3 loss vs Boston – 4 straight
10/15/19: 5-2 loss at Nashville – 4 straight
10/21/19: 6-2 loss at Philadelphia – 4 straight
10/25/19: 6-1 loss vs Colorado – 4 straight
11/02/19: 4-3 OTL vs Winnipeg – 3 straight
11/13/19: 5-3 loss vs Chicago – 5 straight
11/27/19: 4-3 OT win at Nashville – 3 straight
12/08/19: 5-0 loss vs NY Rangers – 5 straight
12/12/19: 4-2 loss at St. Louis – 3 straight
12/27/19: 4-3 loss at Anaheim – 4 straight
01/04/20: 5-4 OT win vs St. Louis – 3 straight
01/07/20: 4-3 loss vs Pittsburgh – 3 straight
01/09/20: 5-2 loss vs LA – 4 straight
We were on to this earlier in the season, especially after Max Pacioretty made a comment about their inability to overcome adversity.
We have to find a way to be resilient and hopefully, these last couple of games can give us the experience we need to overcome this adversity and be better from it. -Max Pacioretty on 11/12/19
The Golden Knights have played 26 home games so far this season. In eight of them they’ve allowed at least three straight goals. That means once in every three home games!
It’s unacceptable for it to happen once in a blue moon in your own building, let alone 30% of the time.
Three is bad enough, but against LA, they allowed the fourth straight goal which completely sunk any hope Vegas had of getting back in the game.
The Kings were the eighth team this season to score four in a row against the Golden Knights.
That happened only eight times all of last year and 11 times in the inaugural season with more than half of those 19 coming on the road. The Golden Knights are on pace to allow at least four consecutive goals 14 times this year and eight times at home.
(And that’s not even counting the one really really really important time it happened.)
The longest span of games Vegas has gone between allowing four straight goals is 11 games. The longest they’ve gone between allowing three straight is only six games. So, once a month the Golden Knights are going to give up four in a row, and once every other week they’ll give up three.
Luckily, there’s a flip side to this. The Golden Knights have scored three straight a total of 15 times which has led them to a record of 14-0-1. They’ve rallied for four straight on seven instances, five straight five times, and six in a row once.
Scoring 3+ consecutive goals
10/4/19 – 5-1 win at San Jose – 5 straight
10/12/19 – 6-2 win vs Calgary – 3 straight
10/19/19 – 3-0 win at Pittsburgh – 3 straight
10/27/19 – 5-2 win vs Anaheim – 5 straight
11/02/19 – 4-3 OTL vs Winnipeg – 3 straight
11/17/19 – 6-0 win vs Calgary – 6 straight
12/02/19 – 4-1 win at New York Rangers – 4 straight
12/03/19 – 4-3 win at New Jersey – 3 straight
12/10/19 – 5-1 win vs Chicago – 5 straight
12/15/19 – 6-2 win vs Vancouver – 3 straight
12/17/19 – 3-2 win vs Minnesota – 3 straight
12/28/19 – 4-1 win vs Arizona – 3 straight
12/31/19 – 5-2 win vs Anaheim – 5 straight
01/02/20 – 5-4 win vs Philadelphia – 3 straight
01/04/20 – 5-4 OT win vs St. Louis – 4 straight
When the going gets tough, it gets really tough. But when it’s going well, it seems to continue for the Golden Knights. Recently, we’ve seen both sides of it, with miserable 1st periods and stupendous 2nd and 3rds.
If the Golden Knights can clean up the consecutive goals against numbers, especially at home, they’ll be in good shape. If they don’t, it’ll probably mean an early exit in April… even with their ability to stack them up offensively.
Walt Tkaczuk
It’s a different team now, and these outbursts are going to occur. It’s part mental, but the team is suffering from several things even though they are hanging around the lead in the Pacific. Not rocket science here….but Schmidt is not the same player…..seems a step slower and much weaker when trying to hold the blue line in the O zone. He used to shadow the other team’s best player, but not sure this is happening today. His recent miscues have led to part of the consecutive goal nonsense. The team forechecking is weaker. Karlsson has lost the ‘wild’ streak he once had. He used to be primed and ready in the right spot in front of the net, but I’m not seeing him there as much. He simply looks less aggressive to me. Line 3 is always a mess, and now with Eakin it’s not going to improve. Pucks getting past both goalies at an alarming clip, and changes might need to be made. The D men used to knock more people on their butt in the D zone, but I’m seeing less of this. Of course what I indicate above is probably all nonsense as someone may have put a spell on the arena or something.
Mike G
The pregame atmosphere, noise, music, dancing showgirls is awesome. The problem is because of that no road team is going to sleepwalk through the first period (Think Barclays Center, Florida Panthers, or Arizona). Regardless of how tired they are that energy in the arena HAS to pump them up. Whereas our players have become accustomed to that atmosphere and maybe it doesn’t have the same effect anymore.
Second, we just need our goalies to make a few decent saves in the first period. I’m curious what the first period save percentage is on this home stand? It has to be horrendous
Mike G
PS – I’m predicting record comments on this thread… fire everyone, trade everyone, bench everyone.. this should be fun
DOC Williams
NAH ….. Not going to go the FIRE, TRADE or BENCH route. (We’re pretty much stuck with the roster we have now. (Not counting any meaningful transaction at trade deadline). I agree almost 100% with Walt T comments, adding this: – Could Schmidt be suffering lingering effects (physically or emotionally) from his injury earlier? – Does anyone else feel that Karlsson is kind of a “pouty” person … maybe not that mature as a professional? – Our Dmen are not physical enough at all. Mike G may have something there regarding the atmosphere at the Fortress. (Doesn’t affect our guys much at all anymore and wakes up the visiting team)! Also, time to name a captain who can take over the room and get the boys going ON TIME! MARK STONE anyone!!!!!! Gallant says it’s not his job to jump around with pom poms before the game. (Bet Stone would if that’s what it takes)!!!!
Tim
Excuse after excuse the latest we’ve been home to long and the players get complacent. More excuses we didn’t have the jump, or we only played two good periods they use that one a lot. The fact is maybe there tuning Gallant out or the obvious the team is not as good as they think. Look at our Chicago affiliate there’s not much talent there maybe Lucas E., Jimmy S., and Dylan C., have a small chance the rest forget it. Payton Krebs not making the Canadian team is concerning. Jack Dugan looks legitimate and after that who knows. Subban showed me enough the other night to never count on him. Our D doesn’t score constantly turning the puck over a disaster. Eakin, Tuch and Karlsson maybe score every 10 or 12 games. Were just plodding along we get down 3 zip time to change the channel. It’s are team and we love them but were nowhere near a Cup contender.