In two of the most important regular season games in franchise history, the Golden Knights attempted 159 shots with 83 of them reaching the net. They’ve scored just twice including a puck that was kicked in by an opposing team player and a 6-on-5 goal to cut the deficit from two to one with not much time left.
A year ago, in Games 5 and 6 of the Conference Finals, the Golden Knights attempted 121 shots, saw 66 reach the goal and scored just three times.
The year before that, again in the Conference Finals, the Golden Knights attempted 134 shots, 69 reaching the goal, and again scored just three times.
Six crucial games, a total of eight goals, and six losses that all resulted either directly or indirectly in the end of Vegas’ season.
We have to look in the mirror. This has been a historical problem here, going dry at the wrong times. There’s no excuses this time of year. You have to find a way to win and step up in the most important moments. -Pete DeBoer
The inability to score has been a problem that has plagued each of the past three Golden Knights’ seasons. It’s a problem that confuses many from both the eye test and the advanced analytic perspective as Vegas appears to be dominating games, handling their opponents, and yet time and time again, when the games mean the most, they end up on the wrong side of the scoreboard.
This season, Vegas has attempted the 7th most shots in the league and they’re 8th in shot attempts. However, they’ve scored on just 5.1% of those attempts and 9.2% of shots on goal. Those numbers are good for 20th and 24th in the NHL..
There’s a fine line between wanting to put everything on net and at the same time you’re making the goalie feel good if you are just throwing it on net from everywhere. It’s about having the confidence and making the extra play to make the goalie get out of position, make him go lateral and give yourself a better chance to score. -Max Pacioretty
Diving into the numbers, the Golden Knights’ 9.2% shooting percentage is comprised of a variety of concerning percentages. Vegas has taken 331 slap shots this season and they’ve scored on just 17, good for 5%, the 28th best in the NHL. Since January 1st, that number is 3.3%, dead last in the league. They’ve also attempted 27 wraparound shots on goal and have not scored a single time,
One of the biggest changes to how we’ve seen Vegas’ offense operate since the change from Gerard Gallant to Pete DeBoer has been in the reliance on shots from the point. Under Gallant, Vegas liked to throw shots on goal from everywhere, then retrieve the puck and do it again. In fact, during Gallant’s 214 games, Vegas put just 262 tipped shots on goal, the 3rd fewest of any team. Under DeBoer, in just 155 games, the Golden Knights have seen 280 shots on net, the 11th most in the league.
The problem has been the efficiency of these shots. Despite the heavier reliance on this type of goal generating play in the gameplay, Vegas has seen their shooting percentage on tipped shots increase by just 0.5% after the coaching change. They were 14.5% on tips with Gallant and they are 15.0% with DeBoer.
The Golden Knights are 12th in the league in shots on goal created by tips, but have just scored on 16.8% of those chances, or 19th best in the NHL.
But it clearly goes well beyond this for the Golden Knights. Vegas has generated 2357 scoring chances per NaturalStatTrick.com, the 10th most in the league. However, they’ve converted on just 13.9% of them, which moves them down 10 spots to 20th in the NHL.
They get in closer even more often than that too. The Golden Knights are 6th in the league in high-danger chances created at 1005, or 13 per game. But, their shooting percentage on these chances is just 18.4%, 19th best in the league.
The good chances that we get we don’t bear down and that’s why we’re losing games. -Marchessault
Vegas has just two players on the everyday roster that shoot better than 13%. Michael Amadio has scored 10 times on just 55 shots for 18.2% and Chandler Stephenson hits at a 16.1% clip scoring on 18 of his 112 shots. All of the high volume forwards come in around 10% and the defensemen are closer to 6 to 7%.
When attempting 40 or more shots, the Golden Knights are a paltry 6-11-2 and a two of the six wins came in overtime. In last year’s playoffs they hit 40 on six occasions and won just two of the six. The year before they did it five times and lost them all. That’s eight wins in 30 games when getting 40 shots on net.
The team simply isn’t accurate and this often leads to a belief that the opposing goalie is shutting them down. In reality, VGK create hot goalies by shooting a lot and not accurately.
Whatever is the cause behind it has not been addressed since DeBoer took over. It must if anything is going to change with this team moving forward.
Erik d
Yet another post that leads to the conclusion that deboer is to blame and should be fired but ken doesn’t want to do that. I don’t get it.
D. Benson Burns
I think a big problem is far simpler than all this. The VGK don’t force the goalie to move laterally and quickly shoot, in order to take advantage of the goalie being out of position. The VGK dance around or make meaningless moves after a cross ice pass, allowing the goalie to get into position. The result? Shots at center-mass of the goalie. Easily gloved or trapped by the goalie, so no second chances of rebounds. I’ve seen this dozens and dozens of times over the last two seasons. Look at Ovechkin. Stands in the same spot. Everyone knows he’s there. When he gets the cross ice pass the puck is heading to the net at 100mph while the defense is still moving to cover him.
the hockey god
sounds like a player problem, not a coach’s problem. Team players have gotten older, tired, a step slower.
Foley’s goal of winning SC in five years, has turned into not making playoffs in five years. The team is aging veterans , damaged goods, everyone one step slower.
In order for any coach to move forward, the whole team must change. Get younger, get faster. With SAL CAP BS, I don’t see this happening. The FO will have to pull some mighty big deals in off season and no one wants damaged goods.
I see Regina in head lights, and Vegas in rear view mirror. A valiant effort was made, they had a good run. They almost got it done. The face of franchise, fell flat on it’s face. Now we’ll see years lying in the muck of Sal Cap hell. If the FO can pull off some miracles, again, then I will change my tune. But for now all I see are dark clouds on the horizon, a hurricane brewing, and an ill wind rising in the east.
Howard
It’s both a coaching and front office problem;
“Under Gallant, Vegas liked to throw shots on goal from everywhere, then retrieve the puck and do it again.”
Ya, the above (RETRIEVE THE PUCK) is called FORECHECKING. You can’t retrieve pucks when your dmen are over pinched all the time, and when they aren’t, they’re taking low % point blueline shots, OUT OF CYCLE.
So, 2-1-2 forecheck = 2 forwards side wall, 1 forward centered, 2 DMEN BACK who should ONLY PINCH in when your team has RETRIEVED the puck with clear posession
(this is a defensive problem we been seeing this year with this team, too many odd man rushes because PDB is incapable of EVER deviating from his system and IMO, this is why I don’t think he will ever win a Cup).
Instead, under PDB’s ‘system,’ dmen either CONSTANTLY pinch in without clear team puck posession and/or just sit there and fire low % point shots that Ken likes to call, “spray and pray.”
These shots are normally taken out of cycle as well. Cycle example = pass to point, ROTATE to center, 2 forwards crossing crease AS DMAN FIRES THE POINT SHOT.
Out of cycle = DMAN just shoots BEFORE FORWARDS CYCLE towards net, MOST OF THE TIME resulting in the opposing tender making a clear path, non tipped save. Opposing team dmen just force Vegas forwards outside as they try to crash net.
Offensive Hockey is a sync and motion game. If your team is shooting IN SYNC, in CYCLE, you have a better CHANCE to score (higher shooting %) as you get defense and opposing tender in motion. Here’s what I mean;
Ever seen how a successful PP has opposing tender moving back and forth as the puck IS IN MOTION? Then, a successful shot catches d and tender in the opposite motion?
Think of a pendulum, what happens if you keep staring at it? YOU GET HYPNOTIZED and you lose concentration – this is also missing from VGK PP.
VGK never do this under PDB, like EVER. They just do what Patches is quoted as saying in this article. This is an absolute and total coaching failure in my strongest opinion and that failure is PDB NOT WILLING TO TRY SOMETHING NEW (includes PP obviously as well).
He will mix up lines, but will NEVER CHANGE anything in his system.
Again, hockey is a very, VERY SIMPLE game, PDB over complicates things too much and CONTINUES IN THINGS THAT AREN’T WORKING, expecting a different result = INSANITY.
In all of this as I’ve mentioned before, more blame DEFINITELY on KM. I like PDB from a personal perspective, I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT STOMACH KM – just listen to him talk. Nothing worse than a guy who is clueless trying to sound like he’s not. KM is all ego
(why he even say a word when MAF returning rumor was circulating, KEEP YOUR TRAP SHUT KELLY).
The end.
the hockey God
really howard ? PDB changed to 1 1 3 mid way through the season. When team is down he constantly switches up lines. The problem is that players do not execute the 1 1 3, get out of position. Remember it took patches nearly a year to get good with VGK.
the hockey God
well one quarter of way into season
knights fan in minny
i hope logan is in the crease tonight
Blitz
sinbin twitter is speculating otherwise, judging from the “first off the ice” routine. It looks like Lehner. If that is true I don’t understand the justification. Well unless they need more damning evidence in order to move on from him in the offseason. Wishful thinking on my part.
knights fan in minny
the walrus must have some damaging pictures of the coach
knights fan in minny
fluery said he wants to play one more year back to vegas on a discount tandem logan and fluery vegas would explode
Julie
Rotowire says Lehner is confirmed
Hdbiker7851
thg – saskatoon. Would be a better choice. bigger and Regina has the football team Saskatchewan roughriders. Of course this assume you know where Regina is since you have a burning desire to move the team.
the hockey God
HD, don’t have a burning desire, just saying it’s inevitable. Yes i know where Regina is. The CFL had two rough rider teams at one point in time. The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, in which they won five Grey Cups. The team’s fortunes waned in the 1980s and 1990s, and they ultimately ceased operations following the 1996 season. Five years later, a new CFL team known as the Ottawa Renegades was founded, though they suspended operations in 2006. The Ottawa Redblacks, which own the Rough Riders intellectual properties, joined the league in 2014.
There was game in 60s that included a map of US state capitals as well as Canadian province capitals. I don’t recall the name of the map game. IT is a good study tool to learn all the capitals.
Vic
Coaches can move forward without changing the whole team, and have done so this season….Florida, Edmonton and Vancouver. A coaching change might have helped the VGK this season as the new person would have tweaked things and wouldn’t be wed to #90 and an amateur power play.
the hockey God
@ Vic, no coach would change these damaged goods. I expect heads will roll in off season.
Richie-Rich
Hmmm, I seem to recall Dadanov having at least 2 wrap around goals.
the hockey God
the people here who think it takes a village will soon find out it’s not taking a village at all. But Skid Row, which is actually designated area within the city of LA.
wait for it.
Tim
I guess it’s fun expressing your thoughts on Sin Bin and some of you have lots of thoughts maybe just to feel your important I guess. Seems to me you can express your self with one or two post but I see ten to fifteen posts by a poster and I don’t get it. We have the same old issues as we did with Dallas two years ago and Montreal last year and that is we can’t put the puck in the net. This year is no different it makes no difference who we play if there goalie is on his game we have no chance. The next problem has been a non-existent PP which again has cost us numerous games at critical times. Next issue is goaltending I think now you have all seen the light that Lehner isn’t the answer. Next problem is overpaid under performing players and I don’t see that changing. In a nut shell these are our problems and you can write all the posts you want and slice it anyway you want but it still comes down to this! We are not a team anymore were a collection of players and when they shit all over Flower and the way it was handled took the cohesiveness from this team . Never forget Flower was the Vegas Golden Knights and it will never be the same again.