Knights have chance at signature win to end season-long road trip
Two things can be true about the Golden Knights’ road trip: They’ve played well, and they haven’t faced the most daunting slate of opponents.
The Knights (14-6-2) are 3-1 on their five-game swing with one stop left to go Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche. They’ve guaranteed themselves a winning record this trip, which is a clear success given the adversity they’ve faced.
Yes, the Knights’ three wins have come against three Eastern Conference teams below the playoff cutline in the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers. But they can only play the schedule in front of them. And the way they won those games was impressive.
Beating Ottawa on Nov. 21 one day after being shut out in Toronto was an encouraging sign. Scoring five goals in the second period in Montreal two days later was uplifting. Coming from behind to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 in a shootout Monday is the kind of win a team can rally around.
The results are even more inspiring after taking into account the Knights’ lack of practice time and bodies available. The team hasn’t skated between games in a week because of its schedule. It’s also down three defensemen due to upper-body injuries in Alex Pietrangelo, Zach Whitecloud and Ben Hutton.
The absences don’t stop there. The Knights have been without captain Mark Stone for nine games due to a lower-body injury. Center William Karlsson’s missed Monday’s game to be with his wife Emily for the birth of their second child.
“It’s a tough time to get your game in order and practice those things, but credit to our guys,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We’ve won three in a row without that, so they’re finding ways to get it done.”
Wednesday’s game will still serve as a measuring stick for the Knights regardless of who’s in the lineup.
The team has 14 wins, the second-most in the Western Conference behind the NHL-leading Winnipeg Jets (18-4-0). But 10 of the Knights’ victories have come against teams that wouldn’t make the playoffs if the season ended Tuesday.
Six of their eight losses, on the other hand, have come against the top six teams in the Eastern Conference.
The Knights can pick up a signature win against the Avalanche (12-10-0), a team they already beat 8-4 in their season opener. Colorado has stumbled out of the gate, but the 2022 Stanley Cup champions had won six of their last seven games before Monday’s 8-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Avalanche will likely be looking for redemption Wednesday after their latest performance. It would be an accomplishment worth acknowledging if the Knights still win their fourth game in seven nights and pick up eight of a possible 10 points on their road trip.
Wednesday won’t be their only chance at a signature victory, however. The Knights return home to play the Jets on Friday at T-Mobile Arena.
For now, the team can only control what it can control. The Knights know the schedule will work itself out.
“Not every game’s going to be a masterpiece, but you’ve just got to find a way to get two points,” center Jack Eichel said.
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.