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"We got to take care of business" - Jonathan Marchessault urges team to elevate performance as Vegas aims for playoff contention
Vegas Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault has urged his team to elevate their performance as they aim for playoff contention.
Following a 5-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, Marchessault emphasized the need for the defending Stanley Cup champions to start playing like they want to be in the playoffs.
"We got to take care of business," Jonathan Marchessault said. "We're not in the playoffs yet.
"We gotta start playing like we want to be in it. We need more than just a couple guys every night. We're going to need everybody, and, right now, we don't have that."
The Golden Knights have dropped three consecutive games and hold only a three-point lead over the St. Louis Blues for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, but Vegas has a game in hand.
The absence of key players like goaltender Adin Hill, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and captain Mark Stone has affected the team.
Hill returned from a seven-game layoff on Wednesday but had a rough outing, allowing five goals on 25 shots and surrendering 1.4 goals above expected at five-on-five. The Golden Knights managed only 18 shots and had 16 giveaways.
A fan took to social media to express his disappointment over the Golden Knights's loss.
“Just no energy left in this club. They for sure are looking to get dropped in round 1 if they keep playing like this.” a user wrote on the loss.
In 2024, Vegas ranks 22nd in the league with a 20-18-3 record and 19th with a .524 points percentage, a significant drop from their performance before January 1, when they were battling the Vancouver Canucks for first place in the Pacific Division.
Keegan Kolesar, who scored Vegas' only goal against Edmonton, acknowledged that the team's game is not where it needs to be. So, even if they were to make the playoffs, it could be a quick exit for them if they continue to play at their current level.
Jonathan Marchessault, who scored 13 goals and 25 points in 22 playoff games last spring during the Golden Knights' Stanley Cup run, is having a strong 2023-24 campaign, with a career-high 41 goals in 78 contests.
Meanwhile, the 33-year-old, Jonathan Marchessault is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Golden Knights coach analyzes Jonathan Marchessault and Co's loss to the Oilers
The Oilers put together a strong performance without their superstar captain, Connor McDavid (upper-body injury). Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy dismissed McDavid's absence as irrelevant, saying that he wouldn't have expected this result even if McDavid had played.
“We need to be better on the forecheck to create some anxiety for them... That was the difference in the game. They were miles ahead of us in that area,” Cassidy said about the loss.
The Vegas Golden Knights next face the Minnesota Wild on Friday at the T-Mobile Arena.
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