Golden Knights Carry a Two-Game Skid Into Columbus
Vegas tries to tighten up without Marner, while the Blue Jackets hunt for a spark from a silent power play.
Written before the game
Vegas has been the better team over its last ten games, but the past two nights showed cracks. The Golden Knights have dropped two straight, and Jack Eichel has said the team is giving opponents too many chances.
The underlying picture still favours Vegas. Across its last ten games, Vegas has averaged 3.67 expected goals for (how many goals its chances were worth) against 3.04 allowed, and it has out-attempted opponents, roughly 60 shot attempts to 54 a night. Columbus has been on the wrong side of both: its chances have been worth 2.83 goals a game against 3.38 allowed, and it has been out-attempted too.
The records match. Vegas sits 8-4-0, second in the Pacific and the West, with a goal difference of +10. Columbus is 3-5-0, 16th in the East at minus 9, and on a two-game losing streak of its own.
Vegas will be without Mitch Marner (personal reasons) and Parker Wotherspoon (upper body). For Columbus, Charlie Coyle leads the team with seven points, and the power play has not scored since opening night.
