No team deserves a pass or fail grade six games in a new NHL season. There are many more omissions.

That’s what the Golden Knights have right now.

They started off strong by going 3-0-0 on their opening homestand and scoring 15 goals. Then things unraveled outside the T-Mobile Arena. The Knights went 0-2-1 in their first road drip despite holding third-period leads in two of those games.

They can wash away the bad taste of that stretch when they begin a four-game homestand against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. Three of those games are against Pacific Division opponents.

The Knights will know a lot more about their team this season once that homestand is complete. Until then, here are three lessons from the team’s inception:

1. Hertl needs a winger

The Knights are still looking for a winger to match center Tomas Hertl.

The team has cycled candidates in addition to Hertl and left/right Pavel Dorofeyev. Right wings Alexander Holtz and Victor Olofsson both played there, but Olofsson suffered a lower-body injury on Tuesday in Washington.

Coach Bruce Cassidy then tried left wings Tanner Pearson and Brett Howden out of the group.

Pearson didn’t move the needle, so Cassidy moved him back to the fourth line against the Florida Panthers on Saturday. Pearson responded with a goal and an assist in the Knights’ 4-3 overtime loss.

Howden also scored after replacing Pearson on Hertl’s line, but overall the group struggled to keep their heads above water after the substitution. The Panthers had a 25-7 advantage in shot attempts as Howden, Hertl and Dorofeyev shared the ice at five-on-five.

Hertl, which the Knights acquired before the trade deadline in March, has struggled to make an impact at even strength. The 30-year-old has three shots and no points at five-on-five in 76:58. Hertl does have a goal and two assists on the power play.

Dorofeyev, who was expected to take a step forward in his second full NHL season, has one goal at five-on-five. The Knights need both of them to contribute more, regardless of who the third member of their line is.

2. Zoomed in

The Knights, with the exception of their 3-1 win against Anaheim on Oct. 13, haven’t made life easy for goaltenders Adin Hill and Ilya Samsonov.

The Knights are giving up 28.8 shots per game, which ranks 15th in the NHL. They allow 63.8 shot attempts per 60 minutes at five-on-five, the tenth highest in the league.

The defensive duo Noah Hanifin and Nic Haag have had a particularly difficult time. The Knights were defeated 5-4 while the duo was on the ice at five-on-five. Hanifin, who was plus-14 last season, has just one assist at even strength. The Hague, which moved to the right side this year, has zero five-on-five points.

“There are definitely areas where I can improve,” Hanifin said. “I’m chasing the game a little too much at the moment, but that can be remedied.”

The other pairs of Knights have their own problems.

The team is outscoring opponents 5-2 with defensemen Brayden McNabb and Zach Whitecloud on the ice, but McNabb has taken an uncharacteristic four minor penalties so far.

The top pair of Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo were defeated 6-5 in a five-on-five in 90:56.

3. Howden and Kolesar start strong

One bright spot for the Knights was the play of two forwards in their lineup.

Howden and Kolesar have had a big impact by doing what they do best: being aggressive on the forecheck.

Their work was rewarded on Saturday. Howden’s goal was a highlight-reel effort as he forced a turnover and then finished with his backhand from close range. Kolesar reached the front of the net and deflected a Pearson shot for his first goal, continuing an impressive start to the season.

The 27-year-old also has two assists.

“Individual success comes from team success,” Kolesar said. “If we play well and play from our identity, I think any player can be successful.”

Contact Danny Webster at [email protected]. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.