VGK Completely Out Of Answers For Slow Starts

This is about the 10th article I’ve written about the Golden Knights’ recurring early game problems. It’s happened so much that I’ve literally run out of different ways to express it, despite it being my job as a writer to come up with a new way every time.

For the third game in a row, the Golden Knights fell into a three-goal hole, failed to climb out, and lost in regulation. In each of the last seven regulation losses, Vegas has allowed not just the game’s first goal, but the first two. And, as shared on the VGK home broadcast last night, all but one of the 19 regulation losses this season have seen the Golden Knights behind by multiple goals at some point.

Everyone agrees, this team absolutely must find a way to start better so they can take advantage of their biggest strength, dominating in the 3rd period.

Unfortunately, like my issue of running out of creative ways to start articles about this topic, the Golden Knights are out of answers as well.

It’s a really fair question and one I wish we could say we had a better answer for but I’m not entirely sure. I don’t have a great explanation for it. If we did, we’d probably do what we could to try to prevent it from happening. –Kelly McCrimmon on VGK Insider Show

From players to coaches to front office, the solution to VGK’s chronic problem is fleeting, and the best answer seems to be blind faith.

I’m still optimistic that we are going to prevent it from happening as much through the final stretch of our season as it has been over the course of the games so far. It really seems to be a trait of our team that we wish we could do a better job of. –McCrimmon on VGK Insider Show

McCrimmon did go out and make a trade last night, adding 30-year-old Cole Smith from Nashville in exchange for a 3rd round pick and Christoffer Sedoff. Smith’s player profile, though, is that of a 4th line grinder who plays about 14 minutes a night and rarely generates offense. He’s likely to step into the lineup in place of Cole Reinhardt, an extremely similar player. Smith adds a bit of depth as a penalty killer, which could lessen the PK load on players like Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, and Mark Stone, but Smith’s presence is certainly not a true solution to VGK’s early game problems.

Maybe there is some other magical answer in the works before Friday’s deadline, but more than likely, hoping against hope seems to be the chosen route.