In January, the Vegas Golden Knights stopped looking untouchable. They are still on top of the Pacific Division. But the gap is shrinking fast. One or two more bad games could push them down to the fourth seed.
Their latest loss summed up the problem.
Vegas fell 4 3 to the Anaheim Ducks. Worse than the score was the way they played. They struggled to keep control. They chased the game. They never really settled in. Shea Theodore was not happy at all.
The loss marked their fifth straight defeat. That is not something fans are used to seeing from this team. Coach Bruce Cassidy could not find the right combinations. The offense stayed quiet for most of the night. When Vegas finally scored twice in the third period, it was already too late.
There has been a sense of comfort creeping into the team lately. That showed again against Anaheim. Vegas relied on another late comeback instead of starting strong. Theodore called it out after the game.
He said the team made some decent plays. But decent was not enough. With only 2 games left before the Olympic break, he wanted the team feeling confident. Instead, he felt they were chasing too much and leaning on comebacks. He made it clear that it has to stop. Vegas needs to start games better.
The numbers back him up.
The Golden Knights only woke up in the third period. By then, the clock was their biggest enemy. On defense, mistakes were obvious. Anaheim needed just 22 shots to score 4 goals. Vegas fired 31 shots themselves. But most came too late. There was no early pressure. No early rhythm.
That imbalance told the whole story.
Now Vegas has a chance to fix things. Games against the Vancouver Canucks and the LA Kings are coming up. Those matchups will show where they really stand.
The question is simple. Can the Golden Knights steady themselves before the Milano Cortina Olympics pause the season. Or will this slide continue and turn a strong year into a worrying one.