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Troubling Facts About VGK’s Last 15 Games

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On November 25, 2025

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: @utahmammoth on X/Twitter)

The Golden Knights are on a bit of a skid. After the loss in Utah last night, they’ve now lost 10 of the last 15 games while amassing a record of 5-5-5.

What has made the last 15 games so tricky is that there isn’t exactly one problem plaguing the team. Puck management, goaltending, and finishing are the three that have come to the forefront most often, but digging deeper, there are plenty of areas to place the blame.

Here are some troubling facts about VGK over the past month.

  • VGK have not scored more than 4 goals in any of the last 12 games after doing it 4 times in the first 10 games
  • Jack Eichel has been on the ice for 19 of the last 37 goals VGK have allowed
  • VGK have a shooting percentage of 7.61% since October 30th, the 7th worst in the league
  • Pavel Dorofeyev has not scored an even-strength goal in November
  • Just three players (Saad, Korczak, Lauzon) have a + rating over VGK’s last 12 games
  • VGK have drawn 50 penalties while taking 39 in the last 13 games, but have scored just 1 more goal than their opponents on special teams
  • The 4th line has not contributed a single goal in the last 15 games
  • Noah Hanifin is a -6 and has been on the ice for 10 goals against at 5-on-5 since returning from injury
  • Mitch Marner has scored 11 points in the last 15 games, a 60-point season-long pace
  • A VGK goaltender has recorded a save percentage of better than .900 in 3 of the last 13 games
  • Tomas Hertl has 9 points in the last 12 games, but has been on the ice for 11 goals for and 11 goals against at all strengths
  • VGK have not won a game in which a defenseman failed to score since November 4th (10 games)
  • Keegan Kolesar is a -6 and has been on the ice for 8 goals against in his last 120 minutes at 5-on-5.
  • Jack Eichel is tied for 2nd in the league with 44 giveaways in 22 games
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VGK’s Hope For Upgraded 4th Line Ultimately Falls On Colton Sissons’ Shoulders

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On September 22, 2025

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

One of the Golden Knights’ biggest focal points in the offseason was getting back to having an “identity line” at the bottom of the lineup. They want more forecheck, more physicality, more matchup flexibility, and ultimately more balance.

The acquisition of Colton Sissons, along with health further up the lineup, will allow for a trio of Brett Howden, Keegan Kolesar, and Sissons to be the group that the Golden Knights hope brings all of it.

When you have a glue line like that, guys that know their role and accept their role and excel in their role that bodes well for your group. I’ve always felt if you have a line like that it’s really good for your team. -Bruce Cassidy

When the Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup, their 4th line of William Carrier, Nic Roy, and Kolesar handled the role extremely well. GM Kelly McCrimmon has mentioned the loss of Carrier has been noticeable over the last two years, and the hope is that Sissons will bring some of that style of game back to the fourth line.

But they have to be a threat to go the other way. Otherwise, teams will cheat against your checking line, knowing they can’t finish. If you look at it as it’s made up today, Keegan and Howden both had career years offensively last year. So those guys can hurt you as well. -Cassidy

The challenge for VGK will be keeping that line together. As it’s currently constructed, as Cassidy mentioned, the line has a trio of players who have scored double-digit goals in a season. However, the moment there’s an injury up the lineup, literally any player on any line in any position, the first place Vegas will look to promote a player will be from the 4th line.

Last year, Howden spent more than two-thirds of the season playing further up the lineup. Even Kolesar played about a third of his games on the right wing of the first, second, or third lines.

There’s no question that the combination of Howden, Sissons, and Kolesar appears to be one of the better fourth lines the Golden Knights have ever rostered. The depth below them may cause problems, though.

Last year, players like Alexander Holtz, Brendan Brisson, Victor Olofsson, and even Tanner Pearson all had much more offensive upside to be able to insert further up the lineup. The collection of Cole Schwindt, Raphael Lavoie, Tanner Laczynski, Cole Reinhardt, and Jonas Rondbjerg, this year’s “next man up” group, is much more suited to fill 4th line roles. So, when there’s an injury up the lineup, Howden or Kolesar will certainly be the first choice to go up.

So, that means a lot will fall on Sissons’ shoulders. Can he help keep the identity of that line no matter who his linemates happen to be night in and night out? If he can, the flexibility Howden and Kolesar offer will keep the currently dominant top-nine looking that way even amidst injuries. If he can’t, though, the problem VGK hoped they fixed this summer will still be in need of a solution.

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Career Highs Set In 2024-25

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On June 24, 2025

In Stats

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

After the mass exodus of free agents last summer, the main question for the Golden Knights was how would they replace the scoring that was lost. The answer, at least in the regular season, was that many players had career years. Six different Golden Knights set or matched their career high in goals in 2024-25. In fact, career highs were fairly common for Vegas last year in many different offensive categories.

Here’s a rundown of every career-high set by VGK regulars last season.

Ivan Barbashev
+/- (+26)
T-Even Strength Goals (21)
OT Goals (1)
T- GWG (3)
Average Time On Ice (16:48)

Pavel Dorofeyev
Games Played (82)
Goals (35)
Assists (17)
Points (52)
Even Strength Goals (22)
Even Strength Points (35)
Power Play Goals (13)
Power Play Points (17)
Empty Net Goals (1)
Shots (254)
Average Time On Ice (16:32)
Hits (28)
Blocks (37)
Takeaways (24)

Jack Eichel
Assists (66)
Points (94)
+/- (+32)
Even Strength Points (58)
Power Play Points (34)
T-Shorthanded Goals (1)
Empty Net Points (6)

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Depth Scoring Must Come Alive In Edmonton

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On May 9, 2025

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: @EdmontonOilers on X/Twitter)

Two years ago, when the Golden Knights and Oilers matched up in the Second Round of the playoff,s the prevailing story of the series was Vegas’ depth winning out over Edmonton’s. Leon Draisaitl scored six goals in the first two games, Connor McDavid had 10 points in the series, and their power play outscored the Golden Knights 9-2. Through two games in the series this year, it has completely flipped.

VGK have the advantage on the power play at 3-0. Mark Stone has two goals. Jack Eichel has four points. And yet, at even-strength it’s 9-3 in favor of Edmonton, and that’s why they hold the 2-0 series lead.

Credit to their depth, they found ways to score. We saw that in the LA series, I think Edmonton did a good job there too, that’s how you have runs. -Bruce Cassidy

As the series shifts to Edmonton, there’s no better time than now for this to change for the Golden Knights. In Game 2, they answered the question of whether or not they could slow down Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl with a more balanced lineup. But life gets even tougher on the road.

It’s 4-4 and I’m thinking, their top guys aren’t on the scoresheet, we need this one to go our way. But, it didn’t, they made the play at the end. If we can replicate the game plan against them. It’ll be a little tougher up there because there will be different matchups. Tonight we did a good job on them. Those guys you have to make it hard on them and make them earn every inch of ice and we did that tonight. They still got us at the end. -Cassidy

There’s no beating around the bush; from this point forward, Vegas’ bottom-nine (all forwards other than the top line) must outscore Edmonton’s. If they don’t, the season will end within the next 10 days.

Vegas finished the regular season with the most goals in franchise history and were just one off the most 5-on-5 goals behind the Cup-winning 2023 team. This team had the weapons to do it in the regular season, they need to come through right now in the postseason. Brett Howden, Tomas Hertl, Ivan Barbashev, Nic Roy, Tanner Pearson, and Victor Olofsson each had at least 9 even-strength goals this season, they’ve combined for zero in the opening two games of the series.

It becomes even more crucial with three of the final five games to be played (if we get there) to be played in Edmonton. The Oilers’ superstar duo will get better matchups and likely do even more damage than they have in Games 1 and 2. So effective offense at even strength will be needed from everyone. The Golden Knights have the edge in special teams, and there’s no reason that has to slow down as the series progresses, but 90+% of hockey games are played at 5-on-5.

All season long, VGK has touted their ability and willingness to roll four lines, to wear opponents down, and their seven players with at least 15 goals. No more getting outplayed by Vasily Podkolzin, Connor Brown, and Evander Kane. Time to step up, or else, it’ll probably have to be time to move on from a few familiar names down the lineup this summer.

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VGK’s Hard-Working Chip-And-Chase Line Key In Deciding Outcomes

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On January 30, 2025

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

It should come as no surprise that the most commonly used forward line for the Golden Knights this season is Ivan Barbashev, Jack Eichel, and Mark Stone. They’ve started 26 games together and have logged 305 minutes as a trio, making them the 14th most consistently used line in the entire NHL. What may come as a surprise though is which line ranks as the second most deployed line for VGK.

That would be Tanner Pearson, Nic Roy, and Keegan Kolesar.

The group first found themselves together early in the season against Los Angeles way back on October 22nd, Vegas’ 7th game of the season. It didn’t last long as William Karlsson’s season debut came two games later which broke them up. A few weeks later they were back together for a string of four games and then recently they’ve been together for seven of the last eight contests.

Their 13 games started and 131 minutes on ice together have them as the second most consistent forward line used by Bruce Cassidy this year. In fact, Vegas only have six lines who have seen more than 100 minutes together this year.

The stats will not jump off the page as they’ve been on the ice for five goals while surrendering just three, they are slightly positive in scoring chances created while slightly under 50% at shot attempts, shots on goal, and high-danger chances.

As a group though, they play an important role for a team constantly using a dominant top line. Pearson, Roy, and Kolesar have started just 32 of their 152 shifts in the offensive zone. They are expected to take shifts that begin either in the defensive or neutral zone, push the puck down to the other end, and give the line behind them a better situation to start in.

We have to have it and they have to be that line. They are the guys that have been there and done it, they’ve done it in a Stanley Cup run so they get it. In Dallas (last Friday), during that run at the end of the 2nd we needed that type of line. We need a couple of shifts to piggyback just to get the momentum back and get us off our heels and that’s what they are good at. -Bruce Cassidy

As a trio, they typically hold the keys for VGK success. When any of the three of Pearson, Roy, or Kolesar score, the Golden Knights are 13-2-2. That means they are 18-13-3 when they don’t.

In Sunday’s game against Florida, they combined for six points and contributed on three of Vegas’ four goals. Vegas beat the Panthers 4-1. Two nights later, they were held off the scoreboard completely and the Golden Knights lost in overtime.

We kept it simple. I think that was the message. Get pucks deep and try to make them make mistakes. -Nic Roy

We didn’t force too many plays. Played a chip-and-chase game and when we have our chances try to make plays then. -Tanner Pearson

A Pearson-Roy-Kolesar line is not going to strike fear in many opponents when they see the names on the page. Nor will it get the national media excited when they read the lineup sheet for the Golden Knights before a game. But, for this year’s team, which relies heavily on a top line and the power play, to have success that line must do their job and do it well. They do the dirty work, so Barbashev, Eichel, Stone, Hertl, Karlsson, Dorofeyev, and everyone else can do the fun stuff.

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KEEGAN KOLESAR SIGNS 3-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION

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On December 13, 2024

In Breaking News

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

The Golden Knights and Keegan Kolesar have agreed to a 3-year contract extension through 2027-28 with an average annual value of $2.5 million.

Kolesar has seven goals and 11 points through 29 games this season. He is one goal and 13 points away from tying his career highs. He is also averaging 12:55 of ice time per game, the most of of any season in his career.

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Cassidy Starting To Dig Deep In Search Of Tomas Hertl’s Perfect Place At 5-on-5

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On November 15, 2024

In Game Analysis

In the 2nd period last night, Tomas Hertl did what he’s been doing from the moment he stepped on the ice with the Golden Knights. He scored a power play goal from directly in front of the net. He’s now up to five goals and 13 points in 15 games and has become one of Vegas’ most lethal weapons… on the power play.

Four of his five goals have come when VGK have the man advantage. Also, three of his eight assists, which means seven of his 13 points, or more than half, have come in 51 minutes on the power play. Thus, he’s tallied just six even-strength points in 218 minutes over 16 games. And, four of the six even strength points came in two games at home against San Jose and Los Angeles.

So, in the 14 other games, Hertl has just two points at even strength in well over 150 minutes of action.

Photo Credit: Ken Boehlke, SinBin.vegas

That’s not good enough from a player who Vegas spent multiple first-round picks and a hefty salary commitment to bring over from the Sharks. Bruce Cassidy agrees, and he’s been constantly moving pieces around the lineup to try and get even more out of Hertl. In Anaheim last night, Cassidy made maybe the most drastic move he’s made with Hertl yet, moving him to the wing alongside Nic Roy and Keegan Kolesar.

It was a little bit of trying to get Tomas out of the middle and onto the wing with a heavier type of players that he’ll complement. He doesn’t have to worry about defensive responsibilities as much. -Cassidy

At first glance, that means Hertl played on what has always been known as VGK’s 4th line. But Cassidy doesn’t view it that way, or at least he didn’t in the matchup against Anaheim.

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