It’s official that the Vegas Golden Knights will no longer be Stanley Cup champions. And when seeking answers as to why their goal of defending that title came to a crashing halt in the opening playoff round, the Golden Knights can start by looking at their inability to score goals.
With the season on the line Sunday in Game 7 against the Dallas Stars, Vegas could only muster up a solitary goal during a 2-1 loss. It was the fifth successive game in which the Golden Knights would score two goals or less.
Brett Howden’s second-period tally – his first of the series – would be the only Vegas goal scored on the night. The series was succinctly summed up on a pair of backhanders. Late in the second period, Jack Eichel, staring at a gaping cage, would flip his backhand chance off the side netting.
In the early moments of the third period, Dallas forward Radek Faksa would score the eventual series winner on a backhand shot.
Plenty Of Culprits For Golden Knights
The Golden Knights would score seven goals while racing to a 2-0 series lead. In the remaining five games, as they went 1-4, they’d only accumulate nine goals.
Eichel and Mark Stone each would score a series-high three times for Vegas. Defensemen Noah Hanifin and Brayden McNabb were goood for two goals each.
After that, the well begins to run dry. Last spring’s Conn Smythe Trohpy winner Jonathan Marchessault scored twice. However, he had 42 goals during regular-season play to lead the team. It’s fair to say more was expected from him. Ditto for Tomas Hertl. Among the club’s key trade deadlines pick ups. he was good for a solitary tally.
Michael Amadio and William Carrier, with one goal each, were the only other Vegas players to score during the series.
William Karlsson, a 30-goal scorer during the regular season, didn’t illuminate a single red lamp over seven games against Dallas. Ivan Barbashev, a hero of last season’s playoff runs with seven goals, was also held off the scoresheet in the goals column. He was good for 19 goals over the course of the regular season.
Heading into the most difficult summer the team’s ever faced in terms of salary cap issues and personnel decisions, the Golden Knights are facing a quandary. A year ago, it was all about parades and celebrations. This year, there are only questions and uncertainty.
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