Slumping Golden Knights eyeing turnaround following Winter Classic loss

SEATTLE -- Perhaps later this season, the Vegas Golden Knights will be able to better appreciate their outdoor experience playing in the 2024 Discover NHL Winter Classic at T-Mobile Park on Monday.

But in the immediate aftermath of their 3-0 loss to the Seattle Kraken, the reigning Stanley Cup champions were focused more on finding their way out of the malaise that has plagued them in recent weeks.

“Yeah, yesterday with the family (skate) and stuff, obviously, that was super nice, but you’ll always remember that game as a loser,” Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault said. “So, it’s really disappointing for our group, and we know we’re a good team, but right now we’re not playing our best hockey all together and we’ve got to find a way to get more consistency.”

Vegas (22-11-5) remained tied with the Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche for the most points in the Western Conference with 49 after losing for the fifth time in six games (1-5-0). The Golden Knights are 11-11-4 since starting the season 11-0-1 and, despite outshooting the Kraken 35-27, were shut out for the fourth time this season.

Seattle, which won its fifth in a row and has a nine-game point streak (7-0-2), scored a goal in the opening five minutes of each period to put Vegas on its heels. That was plenty of support for Kraken goalie Joey Daccord, who posted the first shutout in Winter Classic history.

“We didn’t play our best,” Vegas forward Mark Stone said. “Once you get down in those kind of games, it’s tough to come back. Once we went down two, we were kind of trying to chase it in not-your-typical surroundings, so it was tough to come back. So, getting behind the eight ball was not good for us this afternoon.”

The Golden Knights appeared to get back on track with a 3-2 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday and have demonstrated an ability to raise their game in big moments. But they weren’t able to do it playing in front of a sellout crowd of 47,313 in the second outdoor game in their seven-season history.

“I thought we’d be better, to be honest with you,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “When we kind of got going, it was 2-0. We just didn’t have the urgency required early on. By the time we got to it, we’re chasing it, which has happened to us lately. So, a little disappointed in that we weren’t better out of the gate. But give them credit. They’re playing well. They’re checking well. They’re keeping the puck out of their net well.”

The Golden Knights aren’t the first team to experience a lull in their play the season after winning the Stanley Cup. Stone suggested fatigue could be a factor.

Vegas’ 38 games are tied with four other teams for most in the NHL after it played a League-high 104 games, including 22 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, on the way to winning its first championship last season.

And though the Golden Knights had three days off before the Winter Classic, they’ve been busy with travel, playing five of their past six on the road, including losses at the Carolina Hurricanes (6-3), Tampa Bay Lightning (5-4) and Florida Panthers (4-2) leading into the NHL’s three-day holiday break that began Dec. 24.

Vegas has the next two days off to recover before playing its next game at home against Florida on Thursday (10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, BSFL, SNO, SNE, TVAS) in another rematch of last season’s Stanley Cup Final.

“We’ve played the most hockey in the League, especially after going as far as we did last year,” Stone said. “This next stretch of hockey is important for us. We have time off to practice, to get ready, to get our game a little bit more sharp. We’ve been all over the place this last little bit. We’re not going to use it as an excuse, but we have played a lot of hockey. We haven’t practiced.

“We’ll sharpen up our game in the next couple of days here and be ready to go for the second half of the season.”

If the Golden Knights can start winning consistently again, the negative feelings from losing to the Kraken on Monday will fade and that might permit them to remember participating in the Winter Classic more fondly.

“Well, this one stinks right now because we lost, but when we walk away from it, we’re going to have good memories from it,” Cassidy said. “We’re going to end up playing 82 games this year and we’re going to lose our share and win more than our share, I hope. That’s the plan, right? To do that and have a successful season. But at the end of the day right now, when you lose it, it takes away from all the sort of positive vibes of going into the game.”