Where Exactly Did the VGK Season Go Sideways?

After 80 games, the VGK somehow haven’t been eliminated from qualifying for the playoffs, which is somewhat of a miracle considering how this season has played out. But it’s just a matter of time before it becomes official, as Vegas once again didn’t win a must-win game, losing once again in overtime by a score of 3-2. They now trail Dallas by 4 points with just two games left in the season. Vegas must win both of their remaining games while Dallas has to lose both of their remaining games in regulation.

Is it possible? Yes. Is it likely? No.

So I ask: Where exactly did the season go sideways on the VGK? It’s a question that has many correct answers.

In my opinion, the door to the playoffs was wide open for the VGK even just 72 hours ago, when they played the San Jose Sharks, a team going nowhere. They led by 2 goals with just over 2 minutes to go. But when Chandler Stephenson and William Carrier are your two best offensive forwards in the last 2 critical games, that’s problem # 1. Don’t misconstrue what I’m saying here; if the VGK had 18 players like Chandler Stephenson and William Carrier, they wouldn’t be hanging on by a thread for a playoff spot. Chandler Stephenson scored for the 4th straight game, including 2 PPG, the power play being another reason you could point to for the season going sideways. William Carrier scored for the 2nd game in a row since returning from an injury that kept him out of the lineup for 10 games.

The VGK roster is $10.5 million over the salary cap of $81.5 million. You wouldn’t be wrong to expect the players at the top of the food chain to be contributing more to the offense than Chandler Stephenson; 9 players make more than his $2.75 million salary, while 12 players who make more than Carrier’s $1.4 million. The offense simply cannot afford to rely on these two players to win games.

Problem #2 is the failure to pick up the additional point in the last 2 shootouts. Had they did so, the almost insurmountable 4-point Dallas lead would be a very manageable 1-point lead. If they held onto their 1- goal lead 2 different times last night, they’d be tied with Dallas and own the tiebreaker; they could just win their last 2 games to control their own playoff destiny.

But in the last 2 shootouts, the VGK have gone 0-10. Yes, not one shootout goal in 10 attempts. Last night, Jake Eichel, Shea Theodore, Nicolas Roy, Chandler Stephenson, Jonathan Marchessault, and Evgenii Dadonov all had a chance to end the game on their sticks. William Karlsson could have kept the shootout going if he could’ve just found the back of the net. Roy, Eichel, and Theodore all missed on Sunday in the shootout against San Jose as well.

Here’s the icing on the sideways cake. The VGK make the opposing goaltenders look like Vezina Trophy winners’ night after night. Keep in mind that the Dallas Stars were playing the 3rd string goaltender last night, as injuries have sidelined the #1 and #2 goaltenders. Dallas’ 3rd string goaltender Jake Ottinger stopped 33 of the 35 shots he faced. Not to be overlooked was Logan Thompson, who stopped 28 of the 30 shots he faced along with stopping 8 of the 10 shots he faced in the shootout in the last 2 games. Logan Thompson is not the problem, that’s for sure; he’s actually saved the season so far, even though it seems the VGK are hellbent to miss the playoffs.

Other Game Notes and Quotes

“Thompson’s been a warrior for us,” Mark Stone said. “First-year goalie put into a tough situation, three starts before becoming our starting goalie for the toughest stretch of hockey of the season. All the props to him, he’s given us a chance to win every night. It looks like he has a bright future ahead of him. He’s definitely not the reason we’re in this situation. He’s battled for us night in and night out.”

“I thought our guys left everything on the ice tonight,” Pete DeBoer said. “We’ve got a lot of guys playing banged up and they gave us what they had. We’ve still got a pulse. We’re not eliminated. I’m proud of our group. I thought we came in and played a heck of a road game. Got the lead and were up again. Had some chances to win the game that we just didn’t finish on.”

Jack Eichel had a game-high 6 hits for the VGK, not his normal style of play. I think Jack may have been a bit frustrated last night, as he came here to Vegas thinking he was going to be playing in the playoffs for the first time in his career, and now it appears that he’ll be suffering the same fate as he had to endure in Buffalo his entire time in the NHL.

My 3 Stars of the game: Chandler Stephenson (1 PPG and 5 SOG), William Carrier (1G, 3 SOG), Logan Thompson (28 saves on 30 shots for a .933 save percentage)

Next game is today vs. Chicago Blackhawks at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time

Your comments and opinions are welcome here at Las Vegas Advisor or you may contact me directly at [email protected] or on my Facebook page or the Facebook page of Vegas Hockey Guy or on Twitter @TheRealJoePane

For more VGK content, check out the Hockey Knights in Vegas Podcast that can be found at this link or on my Facebook page.

One other note: If you’re reading this blog from Facebook or Twitter and would like to access it earlier in the morning before I share it on social media, it’s usually published by 8 a.m. the morning after a game on LasVegasAdvisor.com. What better way is there to enjoy your morning coffee than reading my take on last night’s VGK game.

Carrier opens the scoring
Thompson stops a breakaway
Stephenson’s PPG with two seconds left in the second
The goal that might have ended the VGK season

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