A puck shot by Detroit Red Wings center Joe Veleno (not pictured) gets past Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill (33) during the second period of an NHL hockey game at T-Mobile Arena Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023.
Published Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023 | 9:36 p.m.
Updated Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023 | 11:06 p.m.
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Red Wings Beat Golden Knights, 3-2
The Vegas Golden Knights fall to the Detroit Red Wings, 3-2, in an NHL hockey game at T-Mobile in Las Vegas Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023.
The work wasn't there once again in the eyes of Bruce Cassidy, and the Golden Knights are searching for answers.
Vegas dropped a third straight game and lost for the fourth time in six games during this seven-game homestand, falling 3-2 to the Detroit Red Wings at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday.
"I wouldn’t put it on one thing," Cassidy said. "Our effort needs to be better."
An argument could be made that injuries have caught up to the Golden Knights.
It's no coincidence that Vegas has lost three straight games since losing Mark Stone to an upper-body injury. Perhaps it's evident with Alex Pietrangelo scoring the first goal by a Golden Knights defenseman in seven games on Thursday that the absences of Shea Theodore or Zach Whitecloud are catching up to them.
But the lacking efforts from the top guys who are in the lineup is just as glaring, as the Golden Knights (28-16-2) have been outscored 20-16 in this homestand, falling to 13-13-0 on home ice this season.
Vegas is still in playoff positioning two weeks before the All-Star break, but the arms race is getting shorter with the Seattle Kraken, Los Angeles Kings and now Edmonton Oilers all separated by three points.
Adjusting away from that starts with the guys at the top of the lineup, Cassidy said.
"I think we’ve had passengers lately," Cassidy said. "Guys we rely on, they need to be better."
When asked directly about Jack Eichel, that seemed to be one top player Cassidy was referring to.
Since his 3-point game against Pittsburgh when returning to the lineup, Eichel has just two points (both assists) and has been a minus-8 in that stretch.
Most of Eichel's success earlier in the season came with Stone on his wing. Now that Stone is out, Eichel needs to be the driving force and the option to take over a game.
Cassidy hasn't seen that in his star center as of late.
“Jack hasn’t been the driving force for us he was at the beginning of the year at both ends of the ice," he said. "He needs to be better for us, especially when we’re down a few guys that create offense for us. He needs to be one of the drivers."
Eichel admitted Wednesday that he hasn't played his best since returning from an 11-game absence due to a lower-body injury.
Part of that could be due to a constant change in linemates since his return, but Eichel's impact has been minimal. His game-changing ability should be able to change the course of a game, and that hasn't happened.
"I think we have so many great players on our team," Eichel said. "Bruce is always trying to make in-game adjustments and maybe find a spark for the group, and we've been struggling a little bit lately to score goals. I think whoever you're out there with, everyone understands our system and how we're trying to play as a team."
Eichel added Wednesday that he feels better since returning to the lineup, but it's just a matter of re-finding his game.
After skating with Chandler Stephenson and Phil Kessel and generating just 0.26 expected goals (also out-attempted 9-7 when on the ice), any answers would be welcomed within the Vegas locker room right now.
"I've played pretty well in two of the games — the other three definitely not my best," Eichel said. "I'm a work in progress every day. I'm definitely not happy with the way the last few games have went, and I'm sure every guy in this room would say the same thing."
This homestand concludes Saturday when the Golden Knights welcome Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals to town. After that is a four-game road trip, including three in New York/New Jersey, before the bye week and All-Star break.
The Golden Knights won't change much. They'll return to practice Friday, try to fix what can be fixed and attempt to notch a win against a playoff team from the Eastern Conference.
"I've said it before: It's my job to prepare the team. That's the team part of the game," Cassidy said. "At some point, it's on the individual to get their a---- ready to play."
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
