Sometimes, you need to pummel someone into oblivion. That’s especially true if you enter a weekend contest on a four-game losing streak. If you’re the Vegas Golden Knights, your punching bag on Saturday night was none other than the St. Louis Blues.
That’s what happened as the Golden Knights destroyed the Blues, 4-1. Ironically, it wasn’t primarily Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, or Pavel Dorofeyev that led the charge. Instead, it was the depth scoring that made the difference. We’re talking about Brandon Saad getting his first goal, along with Braeden Bowman and Noah Hanifin.
Inhale. Exhale. Everything’s gonna be alright.
If there was ever a time when the depth scoring needed to step up, it was here. After an abysmal 1-3-2 homestand, Vegas was going into a two-game road trip on back-to-back games. That’s enough to turn a rough start into an absolute catastrophe. Luckily, that didn’t happen as Vegas snapped a four-game skid.
Overall, it was a complete game that the Golden Knights needed. We’re talking about more than depth scoring, though. Akira Schmid stopped 22 of 23 shots on goal. The defense also protected Schmid throughout the night. Could this be the momentum swing that the Golden Knights desperately needed?
If a strong showing against the New York Islanders wasn’t enough, Bowman followed that up with his first NHL goal. Believe it or not, it was on the power play.
BRAEDEN BOWMAN ⚔️
He’s got his first NHL goal in just his second game! pic.twitter.com/ikK22wi4by
The rookie found a Pavel Dorofeyev feed in front and buried a one-timer for a historic goal. But it goes beyond merely getting your first goal of your career. The young winger looks… comfortable?
That could eventually force the Golden Knights to bump him up to the NHL permanently. Considering that names like Saad and Smith are hitting free agency next season, it makes life much easier to replace said players.
Saad and Hanifin got their first goals of the season for Vegas. For the former Blues winger, he desperately needed it after starting off slowly. For Hanifin, he’s looking much better after returning from a lower-body injury.
But it wasn’t just Saad and Hanifin that got much-needed points. Reilly Smith got two assists on the night, quietly getting three points in his last two games. Suddenly, the Golden Knights have depth scoring and don’t look as top-heavy.
That’s a promising sign after the team relied solely on Eichel, Marner, and Dorofeyev for goals. If the guys keep this up, they can make a turnaround in a wide-open Pacific Division. In turn, that will put them back on top.
A wise man once told me, “Fun must be always.” It was meant to be similar to “Hakuna Matata,” where it meant no worries for the rest of your days. It seems that this wise man isn’t having trouble finding the net, either.
Tomas Hertl scored a goal in his third straight game, burying the puck on *GASP* a breakaway. That’s as common as finding a $100 bill in the McDonald’s parking lot. It rarely happens. But when it does, it makes your day.
The best part of all this is that Hertl got all three goals on even-strength opportunities. The Prague native is evolving into a more well-rounded player, using his size (and posterior) for more than the man advantage. “Fun must be always,” amirite?
Nathaniel Lowe is expected to be cut loose by the Red Sox this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)AP
The Red Sox have some roster cleanup due this week, with Tuesday marking the date by which teams need to add eligible prospects to their 40-man rosters to protect them from the Rule 5 draft and Friday representing the annual non-tender deadline for arbitration-eligible players. Don’t expect Boston to clear a roster spot by cutting bait with a homegrown former All-Star starter, though.
At this point, Boston is unlikely to non-tender injured righty Tanner Houck, multiple sources said Monday. With a 40-man roster crunch coming, there was some thought that cutting bait with Houck was possible due to his current situation. Houck, who took home $3.95 million in 2025, is projected (by MLBTradeRumors’ widely used model) to take home the same salary in 2026, but is expected to miss most if not all of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August. Considering the 2027 season is in jeopardy due to labor tensions and Houck is set to hit free agency after that year, the possibility existed that the Red Sox could non-tender (release) Houck into free agency to save a bit of money knowing he won’t be ready to pitch for most of 2026. But sources indicate the Red Sox plan to tender him a contract.
It’s unclear if the sides have talked about a creative long-term deal. Tendering Houck a contract would keep him under club control ahead of negotiations to avoid arbitration and set a 2026 salary later in the winter.
By Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, teams must add eligible prospects to their 40-man rosters to protect them from being poached in next month’s Rule 5 draft. The Red Sox, who have a full 40-man roster, don’t have a long list of candidates but are expected to make at least a move or two. Right-handed prospect David Sandlin is a virtual lock to be added, requiring at least one 40-man roster spot to be cleared. Lefties Shane Drohan and Hayden Mullins, righties Yordanny Monegro (injured) and Jedixson Paez and outfielder Miguel Bleis are among the other potential Rule 5 candidates in the organization. If the Red Sox want to make sure any of those players aren’t taken in the Rule 5 draft, they can add them. Doing so would require spots to be cleared.
Any roster spots that need to be cleared for prospect additions need to be opened simultaneously Tuesday, which is a day when small trades are usually made throughout baseball. Therefore, the Red Sox could get a jump on the Friday non-tender deadline (set for 8 p.m. ET) by moving on from players four days early. The non-tender date represents an opportunity for teams to cut bait with arbitration-eligible and pre-arbitration-eligible players and send them into free agency. The Red Sox, unlike in previous years, could be busy on non-tender day.
The most obvious non-tender candidate on the roster is first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, who is projected to earn $13.5 million in 2026. That mark represents much more than what he’d get on the open market after a down season that included him being cut by the Nationals. Lowe will almost certainly be lopped off the roster but could re-sign at a lower rate as he tests the open market. Boston is anticipating the healthy return of Triston Casas next season and is looking to upgrade the first base position via free agency or trade.
The Red Sox have seven other arbitration-eligible players and are certain to retain Kutter Crawford, Romy Gonzalez, Triston Casas and Brennan Bernardino at their low projected numbers. Connor Wong, who is projected to make $1.6 million in 2026, is expected to be tendered after Craig Breslow gave him a vote of confidence last week. Cooper Criswell already agreed to a one-year, $800,000 deal for 2026, removing him from non-tender consideration.
In addition to Lowe, the Red Sox could cut bait with some younger players on the roster. Righty Josh Winckowski (projected to make $800,000) is a candidate to be cut from the roster, as is lefty Jovani Morán. Tough roster decisions might be made with the utility group of Vaughn Grissom, David Hamilton, Nate Eaton and Nick Sogard later in the winter but for now, those players are projected to be safe.