Team Ops Archives - SinBin.vegas

On March 22, 2023

Every year the NHLPA releases the results of an anonymous poll given to players on a wide variety of topics. This year, 626 players participated in the 14-question survey.

As usual, Vegas and Golden Knights players are commonly found among the results. The strongest year in VGK history in regards to mentions in the poll was 2019-20 when there were seven mentions. This year there are just three, but they are a powerful trio.

This is the second consecutive year the question has been on the poll, and unsurprisingly Las Vegas has dominated both years. Vegas actually took a larger share of the vote this year getting 31.7% while it came in just over 30% last season. 193 players out of the 609 who answered the question selected Vegas.

A pair of familiar names make the cut on this one. Kessel was selected by 12 of the 448 players polled. He’s not the only Kessel on the list either. Phil’s sister Amanda was named among the female players NHLers would most like to play with.

Finally, the ice. T-Mobile Arena has always had a stellar reputation in this category. The question has been asked four out of the last six years and T-Mobile has been in the Top 5 each and every time. This year’s 6% is the second largest share Vegas has ever received, only behind a 4th place 8.7% finish in 2019-20.

Here are all of the resuts including Vegas over the six years the Golden Knights have been in the league. You can see the full poll here.

2022-23

Best Ice: T-Mobile Arena (5th place, 6%)
Best Road City: Las Vegas (1st Place, 31.7%)
Best Locker Room Guy: Phil Kessel (T-2nd Place, 2.7%)

2021-22

Best Ice: T-Mobile Arena (T-4th Place, 5.9%)
Best Road City: Las Vegas (1st Place, 30.6%)
Best Hair: William Karlsson (2nd Place, 7.9%)

2020-21

Best Goalie: Marc-Andre Fleury (2nd Place, 8.9%)

2019-20

Best Goalie: Marc-Andre Fleury (3rd Place, 8.9%)
Best Trash Talker: Ryan Reaves (3rd Place, 11.1%)
Worst Trash Talker: Nick Cousins (4th Place, 5.6%)
Best Golfer: Mark Stone (5th Place, 3.8%)
Best Visitors Dressing Room: T-Mobile Arena (2nd Place, 26.4%)
Best Jersey: Vegas Golden Knights (T-2nd Place, 6.8%)
Best Ice: T-Mobile Arena (4th Place, 8.7%)

2018-19

Best Goalie: Marc-Andre Fleury (4th Place, 6.5%)
Best TV Analyst When Retired: Ryan Reaves (3rd Place, 2.4%)
Best Trash Talker: Ryan Reaves (3rd Place, 5.5%)
Best Arena Atmosphere: T-Mobile Arena (1st Place, 42.5%)
Best Ice: T-Mobile Arena (5th Place, 4.7%)
Best Hair: William Karlsson (3rd Place, 5.7%)

2017-18

Toughest Player: Ryan Reaves (1st Place, 44.7%)
Best Coach To Play For: Gerard Gallant (3rd Place, 11.6%)

VGK Earns High Respect In Latest NHL Power Rankings

On March 18, 2023

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

In exactly one month from yesterday the NHL playoffs will begin. Barring any major collapses, the Golden Knights will be one of the Western Conference’s most dangerous participants. However, some continue to doubt Vegas as a serious Stanley Cup contender. For example, MoneyPuck’s Power Rankings list the Golden Knights as the league’s 16th best team.

Over the years the Golden Knights front office built a team well-suited for the postseason. Six players have customized championship rings, and 12 others have playoff experience. Experience makes a different in the NHL’s second season. While MoneyPuck’s computer model doubts Vegas’ chances, several other Power Rankings are much more favorable to the 31st franchise. Here are the latest rankings from hockey outlets across the league.

Sportsnet – VGK #2

As you’d expect with a team dubbed the ‘Golden Misfits’ in their early expansion days, there is no shortage of guys who beat the odds in Vegas. All three members of the original ‘Misfit Line’ — William Karlsson between Reilly Smith and undrafted Jonathan Marchessault — are still there and have been joined by a captain, in Mark Stone, who was a sixth-round selection with questionable skating; Chandler Stephenson, a third-rounder who immediately became a top-six centre after Vegas fleeced Washington for his services; and undrafted goalie Logan Thompson, who was in the thick of the Calder Trophy race before getting hurt this season.- Ryan Dixon, Sportsnet

The Canadian avenue clearly respects the Golden Knights lineup enough to have them one spot below the high-powered Boston Bruins and higher than two teams with better records. It’s possible Sportsnet sees an easier postseason path for Vegas, or that their newly formed lineup is deep enough for a Cup run. Would Sportsnet rank Vegas higher than Boston if Mark Stone were healthy in time for the playoffs? That’s a bit of a stretch.

The Hockey News – VGK #3

The Knights are on a tear with four straight wins and seven of their past eight. They still haven’t really missed a beat despite being on their fourth starter in Jonathan Quick, who’s 4-0-0 with the Knights. As it stands, the Knights and Kings will face each other in the second round of the playoffs if they advance.- Jason Chen, THN

THN posted their latest Power Rankings before the Golden Knights last contest, but it would be difficult to drop Vegas more than two or three spots. Jonathan Quick’s success with Vegas has given the Pacific Division leader more security in net after injuries to virtually every Golden Knights goaltender.

Golden Knights Struggles Against The Pacific Continue

On March 17, 2023

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

This season Bruce Cassidy has had the answers.

He’s helped a team that missed the playoffs a year ago storm back to the front of the Western Conference and he’s done it amidst another rash of injuries including three to goaltenders inside of a month.

When the team has had issues, he’s had answers on how to fix them. From the penalty kill to 6-on-5 situations to breaking up the Misfit line to winning at home, even the power play, Cassidy has equipped his team with a plan and when they’ve followed it they’ve had success.

There is one problem he has yet to solve though, and it’s a big one.

I have to do a deeper dive as to why we are struggling in our own division. I haven’t put my finger on it yet as I’m still new to this division in terms of seeing them as much. I don’t have a good answer for that right now. -Cassidy

After last night’s loss, the Golden Knights are now 8-8-2 against the Pacific Division.

Anaheim: 2-0-1
Calgary: 1-2-0
Edmonton: 0-1-1
Los Angeles: 1-2-0
Seattle: 1-1-0
San Jose: 2-1-0
Vancouver: 1-1-0

Against the four teams still fighting for playoff position, Vegas is a paltry 3-6-1.

We’ve got to get out of our division if we expect to go where we want to go so we’ve got to correct that, I know what much. How we’re going to correct it? That’s still a work in progress. -Cassidy

Eight of the 12 games remaining on the schedule are against the Pacific with six of them against Calgary, Edmonton, Los Angeles, and Seattle.

These games will not only go a long way in determining who the Golden Knights will play in the playoffs, but will also foreshadow how they may do once they are.

Cassidy was stumped last night. He can’t be moving forward.

Vegas Versus The Mighty Eastern Conference

On March 13, 2023

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

All season long the eyes of the hockey world have been on the Eastern Conference. Based on performance and deep lineups the odds suggest an Eastern Conference team will be named the 2023 Stanley Cup champion. Through 67 games, the Golden Knights are making analysts, computer models, insiders, and pundits rethink their position.

On Saturday, Vegas casually shut out the high-powered Carolina Hurricanes to record the team’s 20th victory against the Eastern Conference. Tomorrow night in Philadelphia they can add to that total.

VGK vs the Eastern Conference (30 Games)

.700 Points Percentage
3.45 Goals Scored Per Game
2.70 Goals Allowed Per Game
Shutout CAR, 1 Goal Allowed vs TOR
Jack Eichel vs East: 26 Points (13G, 13A)

Left on the schedule from the East are the Philadelphia Flyers and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Vegas will likely be a sizable favorite in both games. In 30 eastern matchups the Golden Knights would have a total of of 44 cross-conference credits. That’s 47% of Vegas’ 88 total points. Talk about flipping the script.

The message the Golden Knights sent to the East this season has been loud and it’s been heard.

They’re a good team. They hunker down in front and we knew that coming in. That got us behind the eight ball. In the 2nd period we weren’t very good, but we didn’t give up much. Just one bad bounce and it was a breakaway. Then we were down two. We had a good 3rd. We pushed, we just couldn’t get one by them. -Rod Brind’Amour, Hurricanes coach

Not only did the Golden Knights blank the Hurricanes, they also held the Toronto Maple Leafs to one goal back in October. On top off sweeping the Canes and Leafs, Vegas did the same to the Canadiens, Capitals, Lightning, and Senators in their two-game sets.

Golden Knights Need To Keep “Emotional Needle” High

On March 10, 2023

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

27 seconds into the game last night the Golden Knights got onto the board with a 2-on-1 goal from Keegan Kolesar on a nifty feed from Teddy Blueger. It was the perfect start for Vegas in what was bound to be a difficult road game in Tampa.

For the next 39 minutes and 33 seconds, the Golden Knights were not as potent. They collected just eight shots following the goal for a franchise-low nine shots through two periods. They struggled to generate anything off the rush, they couldn’t set up in the offensive zone for extended stretches, and the forecheck was non-existent.

Then, the game started to change. Not necessarily in how the Golden Knights were playing, but more so in the physicality and temperature of the affair. A hit from behind on Jack Eichel woke the Golden Knights up, an after-the-horn scrum continued to turn up the heat on the game, and when the 3rd period came, Vegas appeared much more engaged and ready to fight back.

At the end of the day I think we found our emotional needle. That little scrum may have dragged us into it even if we lost key players. A couple of those shifts really got us engaged. I’ve always been okay with that for our group. I feel like when we get dragged into it, if we are not dragging ourselves into it, we usually come out ok. And we did again tonight. -Cassidy

This is something Cassidy has spoken about in the past. He believes when the team plays with an added level of emotion that they take their game to a higher level.

Emotion is not easily measured and obviously it’s not ideal for the Golden Knights to be assessed with 75 minutes of penalty time as they did last night. But, in the 11 games in which VGK have taken a major penalty or a misconduct, they’ve posted a record of 7-3-1 and they’ve won five of their top seven most penalized games.

We were just fired up with the boys standing up for each other. -Karlsson

It’s a tricky concept as the hope would be that the emotion is there every night. For Vegas, it just hasn’t, yet that’s not abnormal for any team in a league with 82 regular season games.

The question becomes how they can make sure to keep that level high moving forward and especially into the postseason when the games really count.

They can’t rely on someone taking a cheap shot or a scrum that leads to 10 players being ejected from the game to help “drag them into the game.” It must come ealier, and more often, if it truly is going to have the impact on the games Cassidy and many of the players believe it does.

For one night, the emotional needle rose to the level it needed to for the Golden Knights to beat one of the best teams in the NHL. Moving forward, they need to make sure it stays there as often as possible.

Remembering The Last Time VGK Used Four Starting Goalies In 10 Games

On March 9, 2023

Exactly one month ago, February 9th, the Golden Knights were sitting as pretty as they have all season between the pipes. Logan Thompson was posting a strong game against the Minnesota Wild and played great in the games leading into the break, Adin Hill played well in the previous game, and Laurent Brossoit was healthy and performing in the AHL.

28 days later, Jonathan Quick is set to start tonight’s game for the Golden Knights in Tampa Bay, Jiri Patera will back him up, and AHL goalie coach Fred Brathwaite served as the backup for the Silver Knights last night.

And maybe the craziest part about it all is… this isn’t new for Vegas in its sixth season in the NHL.

Let’s hop in the time machine for a moment to remember the 10-game stretch back in early 2017 when the Golden Knights also lost not one, or two, but three goalies to injury inside of a month.

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

It all started when Marc-Andre Fleury took a nasty knee to the head in the Golden Knights’ fourth regular season game ever. The game would go down in history as the first defeat in franchise history, but the short-term effects were more on the mind at the time.

That thrust Malcolm Subban into action, a goalie who just days earlier was described as “not quite sure he’s ready for this level” by the team’s GM, George McPhee. Subban had recently been claimed on waivers from Boston which led to the trade of Expansion Draft selection Calvin Pickard. The Golden Knights acquired just a 6th round pick for what they expected to be an extraneous goalie. It turned out, he was far from that.

Ivan Barbashev: Best Acquisition By Any Team

On March 8, 2023

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

Through five games, newcomer Ivan Barbashev has seemingly fit right in. He’s connected well with star center Jack Eichel and fellow wing Jonathan Marchessault on Vegas’ new top line. So far, he’s a point-per-game player and the trio has been responsible for four goals in 15 periods.

The 27-year-old implied he’s learning on the fly and adding his blend of talent and toughness. A recipe that succeeds in the playoffs.

I’m trying to play simple. I’m playing with Jack and Marchy, so it’s real easy to play with them. I’m trying to make some plays for them and it’s working real well. It’s the way I play. Be more physical and mix it up with skill. -Ivan Barbashev

Overall, the trade with St. Louis has been highly graded by NHL coaches, GMs, and insiders.

I think he’s going to go down as one of the best acquisitions of the deadline by any team. He’s not going to be the biggest but I think he’s going to be one of the best. –Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts Podcast

Jonathan Quick Won’t Give Sound Bites Motivating Former Team Or Other Contenders

On March 4, 2023

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

Although it may have looked strange, goaltender Jonathan Quick suited up in his golden armor for the first time last night.

Quick was on the bench backing up Adin Hill looking surprisingly comfortable in another Pacific Division’s team hat and jersey. The lifetime LA King is now a member of the team he lost to in the 2018 playoffs and is prepared to make a run with his new team in 2023.

I’m looking forward to this opportunity. I’m coming into a locker room where I’ve played with seven or eight of these guys. The comfort level is there right away. I’m just looking forward to helping this team, win some hockey games. I don’t want to give sound bites. I am excited for this opportunity. It’s a great organization, it’s a great group of guys that I’m looking forward to working with them. I’m looking forward to helping them win this division and make a big run in the playoffs. –Jonathan Quick on ESPN’s The Point

Not only was the trade from LA to Columbus to Las Vegas a shock to the 37-year-old netminder but to many across the league. Kings’ leaders Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar expressed a range of emotions to the media after their backstop and dear friend was replaced with Joonas Korpisalo.

The last two days affected us a lot. It was really sad and unexpected. It sucks seeing one of your best friends of your life leave. I expected to play with him for the rest of my career. It’s hockey, it’s business and sometimes things happen that you’re not going to like. -Drew Doughty, LAK defenseman

Captain Anze Kopitar echoed Doughty’s comments.

It’s a very hard day. It was unexpected and sad. I was thinking that Quickie was a King for life, and we’d be playing with him for the rest our careers, Bottom line is we have to deal with and look to the road ahead. -Anze Kopitar, LAK center

Even former Kings player and TV analyst Jim Fox had a hard time describing the scene after the deal was announced to the team.

VGK Have Plenty Of Younger Players, But Most Of Their Offense Comes From Players North Of 30

On March 3, 2023