The Vegas Golden Knights start the new year leading the Pacific Division with 53 points and the best point percentage in the NHL at .716, following a strong 10-2-0 run in December.
However, they head into their Thursday game against the Philadelphia Flyers in Las Vegas feeling disappointed.
This is because they ended 2024 with a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on New Year’s Eve, where the Golden Knights blew a 2-0 lead in the final 23 minutes.
The loss ended Vegas’ six-game winning streak, which was their longest since a seven-game streak to start the 2023-24 season.
“I know when I watch (the video), I’m going to be (ticked) because those are points we should have had,” said Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy. “We’re a better team than that, but they’re gone.”
Cassidy said his team lost some intensity after getting the early lead.
“Kind of self-inflicted plays,” Cassidy said. “We probably stopped playing halfway through the second period the way we needed to keep pushing, and it caught up to us.”
“We just have got to stick with our game plan,” said Vegas defenseman Noah Hanifin, who scored the goal to give the Golden Knights a 2-0 lead. “I think in the third period we sat back a little too much. No matter what the score is, you’ve got to stay on your toes and attack. I thought in the third we got away from that, which is not normal for us.”
The Golden Knights took only their fourth home loss in 19 games (15-4-0) and will play five of their next six games at T-Mobile Arena.
The Flyers, who are 2-2-0 on their six-game road trip, are coming off a 4-0 win against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.
It was their second win in four nights during their three-game trip through California, following a 3-1 victory at Anaheim on Saturday and a 5-4 loss at Los Angeles on Sunday.
After their Thursday game in Las Vegas, the Flyers will wrap up their trip with a game at Toronto on Sunday.
“We’ve got a long trip here,” said Philadelphia coach John Tortorella after the win over the Sharks. “We’ve got teams coming up here that are very good hockey teams. Hopefully, we get some confidence from a couple of wins and bring it to them.”
A key concern for the Flyers is whether their No. 1 goalie, Samuel Ersson, will be available for the next two games.
Ersson made 15 saves against the Sharks before leaving with a lower-body injury after the second period. Aleksei Kolosov finished the game with seven saves in the combined shutout.
Ersson (9-6-2, 3.02 goals-against average) has missed time this season due to a groin injury. He was hurt when San Jose’s Luke Kunin collided with him in front of the net, but Ersson stayed in the game until the end of the period.
“I think it happened in the collision. … The way it’s gone for Sam, it’s a concern,” Tortorella said.
This game will be the second of the two matchups between the teams this season. Vegas won the first meeting 5-4 in a shootout on Nov. 25 in Philadelphia, with Jack Eichel scoring the shootout winner and adding a goal and an assist.
