LAS VEGAS — Before every game Bruce Cassidy typically goes over special teams video with his players, followed by a team-specific pre-scout video for the upcoming opponent.
Ahead of Saturday’s game against Washington, with his team reeling after three straight losses, Cassidy instead used the video session to take the players back in time. Back to a better time, when they were winners of nine straight and atop the league standings.
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Rather than pointing out all the things that had gone wrong over the last three losses, Vegas looked at what led to its 13-2-0 start in October and November.
“We wanted to remind guys how we’re good, when we’re good, why we’re good,” Cassidy said.
The players responded with their most complete performance in some time, routing the Capitals 6-2. Vegas raced out to an early 5-0 lead, fueled by structured defense and transition chances. Cassidy saw something in Washington’s game that he believed his team could take advantage of.
“In the neutral zone, if we’re sharp, we can exploit them and get some rush chances, which have been lacking in our game,” Cassidy said Saturday morning.
That was exactly what happened. The Golden Knights tightened their coverage in the middle of the ice, pressured more with their forwards at the red line and intercepted pass after pass in the neutral zone.
Final- Vegas 6, Washington 2
Golden Knights were dominant to snap a 3-game losing streak.
Cotter scored twice. Roy had the first 3-point night of his career. Pietrangelo and Martinez were both +5 in their first game back on the top pair together.
— Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) January 22, 2023
The first goal of the game started when Michael Amadio picked off a Capitals pass at the offensive blue line and quickly transitioned the puck to Jack Eichel for an immediate counterattack. Chandler Stephenson ended up ringing a shot off the crossbar, but Alec Martinez was there to put the rebound home for an early lead.
“A lot of our offensive chances came from playing solid defense,” Martinez said. “I think we wanted to jam up the neutral zone. If you can get them stopped up, momentum is going the other way. If you can poke it and have good gaps, you’re going to have chances offensively.”
Golden Knights defensemen maintained great gaps throughout the contest. Close enough to pressure the puck carrier and take away passing lanes without giving up chances behind them. That, along with excellent back pressure by the forwards, resulted in a bevy of Capitals turnovers that Vegas turned into goals.
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The Golden Knights have struggled to generate offense through sustained zone time for years. They’re at their best when attacking with speed in transition, before the defense is set. Early in the season, they had plenty of those chances because their defensive structure was so strong. Lately, that hasn’t been the case, but Saturday was a “throwback” performance.
“I think the details — on an individual level and a team level — are the difference between good and great,” Martinez said. “I think there are a lot of little plays that we weren’t making, especially coming out of our own end.”
Vegas completely shut Washington down early in the game. It allowed only six shots in the first period, and the Golden Knights led 3-0 before they gave up their first high-danger scoring chance of the game.
On the other end, the Golden Knights got strong performances across the board. Paul Cotter scored twice, Byron Froese scored his first goal for the team and Nicolas Roy added a goal and two assists for the first three-point game of his NHL career. Vegas threatened over and over with counterattacks, chasing Washington goalie Darcy Kuemper from the crease before putting two more goals past his backup, Charlie Lindgren.
“Most of it came from just good structure away from the puck in the neutral zone and defensive zone, so now they’re like, ‘Yup, that’s what we need to do, It’s working,’” Cassidy said. “We did a lot of that at the start of the year.”
Cassidy’s positive reinforcement in the pregame video session lifted the team’s morale and served as a reminder of what style of game they can win with when they’re at their best.
“It’s sometimes nice to get that different perspective,” Cotter said. “Instead of seeing what you do wrong, it’s nice to see what gave you success in the past. Obviously, those are the types of things that we want to try to replicate, so it was nice to see that. You see a couple of your goals go in and it kind of lightens the mood a little bit.”
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That rolled into a hot start, which only strengthened the Golden Knights’ confidence, and helped them snap out of their worst funk of the season.
Saturday’s game was the final game of the year in the glow-in-the-dark Reverse Retro jerseys. Vegas put together a retro performance, circa-October.
“We talked about that this morning, just getting back to basics,” Cassidy said. “More of our identity at the start of the year.”
(Photo of the Golden Knights’ Jonas Rondbjerg and the Capitals’ Alexander Alexeyev falling to the ice as a shot by the Golden Knights’ Byron Froese gets by Darcy Kuemper for a goal in the second period Saturday: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
