January 14, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, United States; Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone (61) shoots on goal against the Nashville Predators during the second period at Bridgestone Area. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Pictures
In the midst of their worst losing streak of the season, the Vegas Golden Knights host the St. Louis Blues in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee on Monday in Las Vegas.
It’s the first game of a home-and-home series between the two teams, and the rematch will be played Thursday in St. Louis.
Vegas, tied with the Edmonton Oilers for first place in the Pacific Division with 61 points, has lost three straight games, matching its longest streak of the season. The Golden Knights have also lost five of their last six outings, the team’s worst performance in six games in 46 games.
“It’s not super best, is it?” captain Mark Stone said after a 5-3 loss in Chicago on Saturday, which ended an 0-3 trip. “The good thing is that they are not doing anything. “They are mistakes that we can prevent.”
The loss to the Blackhawks, who have the fewest points in the NHL, was arguably the lowest point of the season for Las Vegas. The Golden Knights also fell 3-2 at Carolina on Friday after beginning the trip with a 5-3 loss at Nashville on Tuesday.
“A little bit of adversity is good this time of year, but it’s only good if you can get out of it,” Stone said. “We have to go home and go back to the drawing board and be ready to fight and find a way to win a game.”
Vegas caught up often during their trip. The Golden Knights fell behind Nashville 4-0 and Chicago 3-1 after the Blackhawks scored three times in a 3:42 span late in the first period.
“That’s a problem for us right now,” Las Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “In our bad stretches, we are not putting out fires or limiting the damage. “We did a much better job at the beginning of the year.”
St. Louis had its two-game winning streak snapped with a 4-2 loss against Utah on Saturday in Salt Lake Metropolis.
The Blues, who are fifth in the Central Division and three points behind Calgary for the Western Conference’s second wild card, have yet to win three in a row this season.
St. Louis coach Jim Montgomery surprised some in the loss to Utah when he benched his top line of Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich and Jake Neighbors for the final half of the opening period after Utah built a lead. 3-1 with three goals in a period of 4 1/2 minutes.
“They were -2,” Montgomery said. “I went with the players who I thought were trying to make it.”
When asked about being benched, Thomas said: “Our line just can’t be scored. Easy and plain. That’s all.
“We have to be better, we need to be consistent. Whoever is going to play. That’s the message (Montgomery) sent. They scored on us twice, so we didn’t deserve to be there.”
Now the Blues will try to bounce back against a Golden Knights team that has compiled a 23-5-2 record against Western Conference foes.
“We have a tough schedule ahead of us,” Thomas said. “We’ve played them twice in a row, home and away, so it’s a big test for us. Obviously, they are a great team and we have to find a way to start winning games.”
Monday marks the second meeting between the two teams. Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev each had a goal and an assist as Vegas won the first, 4-3, on Oct. 11 in Las Vegas.
–Media at field level
