Slow starts have been an issue at times during the season for the Vegas Golden Knights, but head coach Bruce Cassidy isn’t losing any sleep over it … yet.
The Golden Knights lead the Pacific Division with 45 points heading into Saturday’s game with the Seattle Kraken in Las Vegas, just two points behind Winnipeg’s league-leading 47. A big reason for that has been the Golden Knights’ 12 come-from-behind wins, tied with the Jets and one behind the Washington Capitals’ league-leading 13.
Vegas began a three-game homestand with a 3-1 victory over the reigning Pacific Division champion Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. The Golden Knights won despite a lackluster first period that saw them outshot 11-5 by the Canucks, who took a 1-0 lead midway through the period on Teddy Blueger’s goal off a rebound.
However, Vegas bounced back to score three consecutive goals, including the eventual game-winner by William Karlsson early in the third period, to improve to 6-1 in the month of December and 17-3-2 against Western Conference opponents. The Golden Knights lead the NHL with a plus-21 goal-differential in the third period.
Vegas did it with defense, holding the Canucks to just two second-period shots and three over a 34 1/2-minute span.
“We’re comfortable in those games and our record backs it up,” Cassidy said. “Nobody wins a game in the first period. You can lose one, but nobody is winning one in the first period, so let’s get to our game eventually, and I think we’re comfortable with that.”
Having a veteran team that won the Stanley Cup in 2023 certainly helps in that regard.
“Would I rather be up 2-0 or 3-0 in the first period a little more often? Absolutely.” Cassidy said. “It makes the game easier for everybody, but that’s the makeup of our team. As long as at the end of the night you’re on the right side of it, it’s tough to complain.
“We’re going to fix our starts, but at the end of the day, I really like our middle and end. … We are winning and we know how to win.”
Seattle, sixth in the Pacific Division, has bigger problems. The Kraken bring a three-game losing streak with them to Vegas, including a 3-1 loss at Chicago on Thursday. That defeat began a three-game road trip that concludes with a game Sunday against Colorado.
Ilya Mikheyev scored a pair of goals to give the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead before defenseman Ryker Evans knocked in a cross-ice pass from Oliver Bjorkstrand with 8:34 remaining in regulation. But rookie defenseman Nolan Allan scored his first NHL goal a few minutes later to seal the win for Chicago.
Evans’ goal snapped a seven-period goalless drought for the Kraken, who were blanked at home by Ottawa, 3-0, two nights earlier.
“Unacceptable, awful, we need better,” alternate captain Yanni Gourde said during a first intermission interview on the Kraken Hockey Network. “Too many turnovers at the blue line. This has to stop.”
“We were not engaged to start the game,” Seattle coach Dan Blysma said. “I’ll say that for sure, and that shows up in execution, that shows up in puck battles, that shows up in having to play too much defense. That’s something over the last 15 games, 10 to 12 games, we’ve recognized, identified and talked about. It’s on each one of us in the room to make sure that we’re bringing more to our game.”
This is the second of three meetings. The Kraken won the first one, 4-3, on Nov. 8 in Seattle on an Jared McCann’s goal 29 seconds into overtime.
–Field Level Media
