Hannah Kirkell
Good morning, everyone, and Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Most of the festivities took place over the weekend– like the parade in Boston where police confiscated hundreds of borgs– but if you, like me, didn’t realize how close the holiday was, there’s still time to celebrate. You’ve got time– the Vegas Golden Knights are off until Thursday, which means three whole days of rest, recovery, and practice.
This short break couldn’t have come at a better time—after a hot streak, the Golden Knights took a step back and fell into old habits, and they are 1-2-2 in their last five games. It was a weekend and a road trip to forget.
Elsewhere in the Daily Nuggets, rival teams chip away at the Golden Knights’ lead in the Pacific Division. Mikko Rantanen made an emotional return to Ball Arena as a visitor, and the first team was mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
Golden Knights News
It was a weekend to forget for the Golden Knights– a road trip to forget, really, but the last two games were especially bad. On Saturday, they blew a multigoal lead to the Buffalo Sabres, and head coach Bruce Cassidy ripped their performance. They followed it up on Sunday by going quietly to the Detroit Red Wings; their exhaustion was evident right from the opening puck drop.
Let’s take a gander at the Pacific Division standings. With a regulation win on Sunday against the New York Rangers, the Edmonton Oilers are slowly closing the gap and sit just four points behind the Golden Knights. The Los Angeles Kings have won five in a row and are five points back of the Golden Knights with two games in hand. If the Golden Knights want to win the Pacific Division, they must right the ship quickly.
The Golden Knights knew what they were doing when they signed Adin Hill to a six-year contract extension. Jesse Granger of The Athletic ($) broke down the 2025 class of free-agent goaltenders; spoiler alert, there aren’t any starting goalies.
NHL Rumors, News, & National Hockey Now
Colorado Hockey Now: Mikko Rantanen spent ten years of his life playing at Ball Arena; on Sunday, he played his first of many games as a visitor. The Avalanche made him a tribute video, and the crowd was emotional. The conclusion of the Avs-Stars game was truly thrilling; sign me up for seven games of this, please!
New York Islanders Hockey Now: The Islanders traded away their best goalscorer. Their most talented skater, Mathew Barzal, hasn’t played since February 1st. But discredit the Isles at your own risk— they launched a third-period multigoal comeback and scored four unanswered to stun the Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers.
Edmonton Journal: When you think of the Edmonton Oilers, defense isn’t what comes to mind. You think of their captain, Connor McDavid, the best player in the world; you think of the unpredictable force Leon Draisaitl. But their offense has dried up, and now they’re learning to win games by smothering their opponents– but not literally, of course, because that’s a crime.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are right around the corner, meaning teams will either clinch a playoff berth or be eliminated from contention. On Sunday night, the first domino fell– with the St. Louis Blues’ win, the San Jose Sharks were officially eliminated from playoff contention.
NHL History: On March 17th, 1992, Joe Mullen became the first US-born player to score 400 goals at the NHL level.
