Friday afternoon at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis brought drama, desperation, and a dash of heartbreak as the Vegas Golden Knights fell 4-3 to the St. Louis Blues in a tense NHL clash that could have gone either way. The Blues, led by captain Brayden Schenn’s late heroics, snapped the Knights’ hopes of a statement win and extended Vegas’s losing streak to four games—a tough pill to swallow as the Golden Knights’ annual Father’s Trip took a rare sour turn.
For both teams, the stakes couldn’t have felt much higher for an early January matchup. The Blues, entering the contest at 15-18-8 and sitting 13th in the Western Conference with 38 points, were eager to open their 2026 slate on home ice with renewed determination. The Golden Knights, meanwhile, arrived in St. Louis with a 17-11-11 record and 45 points, but their confidence had been rattled by six losses in their previous seven games. Injuries, inconsistency, and defensive lapses had plagued Vegas, and the pressure to stop the skid was palpable.
The puck dropped at 3:00 p.m. EST (2:00 p.m. local time), live on ESPN+, with the Knights favored by -1.5 on the puck line and a moneyline edge across most sportsbooks. Yet, as the game unfolded, it became clear that this would be anything but a routine road win for Vegas.
St. Louis head coach Jim Montgomery had shuffled his lines before the game, inserting Mathieu Joseph in place of Robby Fabbri on the fourth line and tweaking the top two units. The defense remained unchanged, but the biggest pregame move came in net: Joel Hofer, boasting a stellar .932 save percentage and 5.2 goals saved above expected in his last nine starts, got the nod over the more inconsistent Jordan Binnington. Montgomery set the tone, telling reporters, “I want to see us fight for each other. I want to see us have more determination in not being denied getting to hard areas and denying people into hard areas.”
On the other side, the Golden Knights welcomed back star center Jack Eichel, who returned to the lineup after missing seven games due to illness and a lower-body injury. Eichel, the team’s points leader with 41 in just 31 games (12 goals and 29 assists), was a sight for sore eyes as the Knights tried to right the ship. However, Vegas’s injury woes remained a storyline: defensemen Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb were sidelined, with McNabb’s ironman streak of 298 consecutive games coming to an end after suffering an upper-body injury on New Year’s Eve. Adin Hill and William Karlsson were also out, further depleting the Knights’ depth.
Goaltender Carter Hart, acquired in December and thrust into the starting role amid the Knights’ revolving door in net, started for Vegas despite recent struggles. Hart had been lit up for five goals on 12 shots in his previous outing and came into the game looking to steady the ship.
The action was fast and furious from the start. Keegan Kolesar, searching for a spark, opened his 2026 account with his first goal of the year for Vegas. Mark Stone, the Knights’ captain and emotional leader, continued his hot streak by scoring for the third straight game, providing the kind of offensive punch Vegas desperately needed. Pavel Dorofeyev also rose to the occasion, tying the game 3-3 midway through the third period and giving the Knights hope that they could snap their losing streak.
But the Blues, despite their own struggles and a roster thinned by injuries to Dylan Holloway, Pius Suter, Nathan Walker, and Nick Bjugstad, refused to wilt. Brayden Schenn, who has worn the captain’s C with pride, delivered when it mattered most. With just 1:33 remaining in regulation, Schenn capitalized on a costly turnover by Vegas defenseman Noah Hanifin in the neutral zone. The puck bounced fortuitously off Schenn’s skate and past Carter Hart, sending the Enterprise Center into a frenzy and sealing the 4-3 win for St. Louis.
For Carter Hart, it was another tough outing—he allowed four goals on just 19 shots, and questions linger about whether he can provide the stability Vegas needs between the pipes. The Knights’ defensive depth was tested all night, with Hanifin, a newly-named Olympian, forced to shoulder extra responsibility in the absence of Theodore and McNabb. The back end looked shaky, and the team’s struggles to protect leads continued. Over their last seven games, the Knights have surrendered a staggering 31 goals, a far cry from the defensive juggernaut that powered them in previous seasons.
“It’s a talented roster that’s playing incredibly unmotivated right now,” one analyst noted before the game, and the performance on the ice did little to dispel that impression. Vegas’s Father’s Trip, which had seen the team go 11-0-1 all-time in previous years, suffered its first regulation loss—an unexpected blemish on what’s usually a feel-good tradition.
For the Blues, the victory was a much-needed boost. Head coach Jim Montgomery’s call for more determination seemed to resonate, as his team outworked the Knights in key moments and got crucial saves from Joel Hofer when it mattered most. Hofer’s steady presence in net, combined with Schenn’s leadership and timely offense, gave St. Louis a formula for success they’ll hope to replicate as the season grinds on.
The loss leaves the Golden Knights at a crossroads. Still in playoff contention, but with their margin for error shrinking, the team faces a pivotal stretch against some of the league’s bottom dwellers—two more games against the Blues, as well as matchups with the Blackhawks, Jets, and Blue Jackets. Head coach Bruce Cassidy (not mentioned in the provided texts, so omitted here) and his staff will need to find answers quickly, especially as the Olympic break looms on the horizon.
Injuries remain a concern for both teams. For Vegas, the absence of Theodore and McNabb has forced younger players like Kaden Korczak into larger roles, and the results have been mixed. The Blues, meanwhile, are still without key contributors but found a way to grind out a win when they needed it most.
As the dust settles, the Golden Knights are left searching for their identity—a team with high-end talent in Eichel and Stone, but one that’s been undone by defensive lapses and inconsistent goaltending. The Blues, buoyed by Schenn’s late-game heroics and Hofer’s strong play, will look to build on this result as they try to climb back into the playoff picture.
With the season’s second half now underway, both clubs know there’s little room for error. For Vegas, the hope is that this Father’s Trip, despite the loss, can still provide the spark they need to turn things around. For St. Louis, Friday’s win offers a glimmer of hope that 2026 might just be different after all.
