Since the beginning of March, the Vegas Golden Knights have struggled to keep the puck out of their net in the third period.

Since the beginning of March, the Vegas Golden Knights have struggled to keep the puck out of their net in the third period.  

In six games in March, the Golden Knights have given up 27 goals. 16 of those goals were allowed in the third period. Their record in these is 2-4-0. 

Third-period defence is crucial in the playoffs, the ability to lock the game down when having a lead or being able to keep the opponents from scoring again when trailing is important. As of now, the Golden Knights are showing they are unable to do it.

Heading into the third period against the Calgary Flames the Golden Knights were winning 1-0. They gave up four unanswered goals to lose the game 4-1. 

Dating back to Mar. 2 against the Buffalo Sabres, entering the third period the Golden Knights trailed 3-2. They lost the game 7-2. In their next game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, they were once again trailing 3-2 going into the third period. The Blue Jackets scored three goals to win 6-3. 

The final example of the Golden Knights struggling to hold opponents off in the third period was against the Seattle Kraken. Going into the third period the Golden Knights were leading 3-2. They gave up three unanswered goals before storming back to tie the game at five. Jack Eichel scored the overtime winner. 

The reasoning is obviously not simple but mixing in poor goaltending and lots of shot attempts is the basic way to understand it. The Golden Knights gave up 10 or more shots on goal against the Sabres, Red Wings and Flames. They gave up less than 10 shots against the Blue Jackets, Canucks and Kraken. 

The Golden Knights have scored six goals in the third period of those games. A decent number but finding a way to up the goals scored and lower the goals against will be a major deciding factor in the team's success heading into the playoffs. 

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