Veteran Leader Calls Out Golden Knights Teammates

Jonathan Marchessault has been there from the start for the Vegas Golden Knights. He was a hero last spring, compiling 13-12-25 numbers in the Stanley Cup playoffs as Vegas won the Cup. That would earn Marchessault the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

This season, the original Golden Knights player is leading the team with 41 goals. He requires just two more tallies to equal William Karlsson’s single-season club record.

As the reigning Cup champs stumble toward the finish line, the Golden Knights still are not assured of a postseason placing. Following Wednesday’s 5-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, Marchessault was questioning the club’s commitment to earning that playoff spot.

🎥 Marchessault: We're not in the playoffs yet. We have to start playing like we want to be in it. pic.twitter.com/kHm8G8dBxU

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 11, 2024

You gotta play fast as a unit of five and we didn’t. “We gotta take care of business,” Marchessault told nhl.com/goldenknights. “We’re not in the playoffs yet. We gotta start playing like we want to be in it.”

Golden Knights Traveling With Too Many Passengers

Following a 6-0-1 run that was entrenching the Golden Knights into third place in the Pacific Division, the train has again come off the rails. Vegas went 0-3 on three-game road trip. Losing at Arizona, Vancouver and Edmonton, the Golden Knights were surrendering 16 goals in the process.

Jonathan Marchessault calls out the Golden Knights after their 3rd straight loss. 🗣️ https://t.co/0cj2ZDBOSa pic.twitter.com/grBrJW2aen

— theScore (@theScore) April 11, 2024

Marchessault believes the reason for the latest derailment of the Vegas train is that the Golden Knights are carrying too many passengers.

“We need more than just a couple of guys every night,” Marchessault said. “We’re gonna need everybody. Right now we don’t have that.”

Home Cooking Awaits in Vegas

Marchessault wasn’t the only Vegas player questioning the team’s commitment level following the loss to the Oilers. Forward Keegan Kolesar was another who was demanding more from his teammates.

Still in need of four points to clinch playoff participation, Vegas will be closing out the regular season with home dates against Minnesota, Colorado, Chicago and Anaheim. The Golden Knights are a solid 24-11-2 at T-Mobile Arena this season. They’re 5-1 in the last six at home.

“We’re lucky enough that we have control of our own destiny,” Marchessault said. “We worked hard all year for that, but it’s on us to start doing the job. Take it one game at a time.

“We just gotta be ready for our next one.”