Skidding Knights attempt to get well against lowly Canucks
The Vegas Golden Knights will try to snap the longest active losing streak in the NHL when they host the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night in Las Vegas.
Vegas, which is challenging for first place in the Pacific Division, has lost five in a row and dropped seven of its past eight games (1-5-2). For the season, the Golden Knights have more losses (30, 14 in extra time) than wins (25).
Vegas comes in off a 4-3 road loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday. That contest followed what has become a familiar script for coach Bruce Cassidy's squad, falling behind early and then rallying in the third period to make things interesting at the end.
Anaheim led 3-0 midway through the second period, but the Golden Knights cut the deficit to one on goals by Mitch Marner and Ivan Barbashev. Ryan Poehling sealed the win for the Ducks by finding the empty net with 1:07 left. Tomas Hertl scored a 6-on-5 goal with 6 seconds remaining for Vegas, which couldn't get another shot off after that.
The Golden Knights have allowed the first goal in seven consecutive home games and eight of 10 games overall. Cassidy became so frustrated after his team fell behind 4-1 after two periods in an eventual 5-4 shootout loss to the visiting Dallas Stars on Thursday that he held a video session between periods to try to get his team on track.
"I don't know if I've done that in 10 years," Cassidy, who also called his team's turnover problems in their own zone "baffling."
He added, "It's strange in the NHL that you'd be doing that midgame, but if that's what it takes to get their attention and get it right, then that's what we'll have to do. We're going to do whatever it takes to win, or play better."
Vegas followed that up with a 3-2 home loss to the Seattle Kraken on Saturday before losing in Anaheim on Sunday. Cassidy said he saw signs in the contests that his team, which plays at Los Angeles on Thursday in the second game of a back-to-back before heading into the Olympic break, is showing signs toward making a turnaround.
"Both our last games, our expected goals were very low," Cassidy said following practice on Tuesday. "We're defending better. ... I don't think we gave up much. Very few odd-man rushes. So I like that part of our game, and have for most of the year."
If there is a "get well" game on the schedule for Vegas, it would figure to be the Wednesday contest against the Canucks.
Vancouver is at the bottom of the league with 42 points and has lost 16 of its last 18 games (2-13-3). It will be the final game before the Olympic break for the Canucks, who haven't won on the road in 2026. Vancouver's last road victory came on Dec. 29 at Seattle, 3-2 in a shootout.
The Canucks come in off a 6-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth on Monday in Salt Lake City. Forwards Conor Garland (illness) and Filip Chytil (migraine headaches) both missed the team's practice on Tuesday in Las Vegas. Garland is expected to play, but coach Adam Foote said "it doesn't look promising" for Chytil to participate.
Canucks defenseman Marcus Pettersson said the team is focused on heading into the three-week hiatus on a positive note.
"Just (give it) everything you got," Pettersson said. "We've got a big break coming up. Try to feel good coming into it. You never want to go into a break on a losing skid. One game. Give it everything you got. Play harder."
The Wednesday matchup is the first of the teams' three regular-season meetings. Vegas is 18-4-3 all-time against the Canucks, having won the past four.