Inconsistent travel shows Golden Knights offense lives and dies on rushing chances – The Athletic

Less than 48 hours from a six-goal performance against the division-leading Calgary Flames, the Golden Knights were shut out 4-0 by the Oilers in Edmonton on Saturday.

The games were a stunning side-by-side not only in terms of Vegas’ offensive performance but also in terms of the chances the Golden Knights were able to generate in general. Edmonton isn’t known for its defensive structure and ranks in the bottom half of the NHL in terms of goals allowed, but the Oilers played disciplined hockey Saturday to eliminate Vegas’ rush chances and the Golden Knights had no answer.

The Golden Knights were offensively successful in the previous game, quickly carrying the puck into the zone and heading straight for the net. In recent seasons, Vegas have proven to be one of the league’s most dangerous teams in transition, forcing the problem against the talented Flames on Thursday. The problem is that the Golden Knights seem to live and die through transition offenses, which can be a problem late in the season and even more so in the playoffs.

Vegas opened the scoring against the Flames with a sizzling Jack Eichel one-timer set up as the Golden Knights attacked the Calgary net before all five Flames players could get into the defensive zone.

As you can see from the picture, this is no strange Vegas rush. Calgary has back three defenders capable of guarding Acorn,