The list of accomplishments on Bruce Cassidy’s resume is impressive. It includes a Stanley Cup championship, multiple conference titles, and an impressive nine-year streak of making the playoffs. One of the main reasons his teams have been so successful in the regular season is strong starts to the season.
Before Cassidy coached his first game with the Golden Knights, we pointed this out, and it has continued in a significant way here in Vegas.
In Cassidy’s three seasons behind the VGK bench, his teams went 13-2-0, 12-2-1, and 9-4-2. That’s a combined record of 34-8-3 and a points percentage of .789. In those 45 games, the Golden Knights have posted a +64 goal differential, including a +51 mark in the 25 home games. There’s no way around it other than saying they’ve been incredibly dominant to start each of the last three years.
Cassidy’s Vegas teams have done in both at home and away and against good opponents and bad.
Overall: 34-8-3 (.789)
Home: 21-3-1 (.860)
Away: 13-5-2 (.700)
Playoff: 16-6-1 (.717)
Non-playoff: 18-2-2 (.864)
Over a 45-game span (15 games each of three seasons), the Golden Knights have posted at least a .700 points percentage in every scenario. Even broken down further to include the most difficult situation, away vs. playoff teams, the numbers are still strong.
Home/Playoff: 10-3-0 (.769)
Home/NonPlayoff: 11-0-1 (.958)
Away/Playoff: 6-3-1 (.650)
Away/NonPlayoff: 7-2-1 (.750)
It must be noted that last year’s team did get off to a 1-3-1 start in away games against playoff teams, but the overall numbers are still great.
Looking forward, the schedule sets up nicely for the 25-26 team as well. They have nine home games and six away games in the first 15, with eight against playoff teams and seven not.
Home/Playoff: 5 (LAK, CAR, COL, TBL, FLA)
Home/Non Playoff: 4 (BOS, CGY, DET, ANA)
Away/Playoff: 3 (FLA, TBL, CAR)
Away/NonPlayoff: 3 (SJS, SEA, CGY)
Just one of the first six games is against a playoff team from last year (LAK), and there are three home games against non-playoff teams in the first six games, a situation in which VGK are 11-0-1 in the last three years.
The schedule is undoubtedly more difficult than it has been in years past, but there’s enough meat on the bone for Vegas to get off to yet another great start. 10 wins in the first 15 games should never be out of the question as long as Cassidy stands behind the bench. This year is no different.
Emmanuel
A big trade rumor website wrote VGK are the most improved team.
They also referred to Pietrangelo as having “an uncertain health status”.
Are they implying Pietrangelo might return?
NAM
I can’t remember the exact wording, but KM said Pietrangelo is done. There is no “might return”.
JB
He’s not coming back!
Emmanuel
They could be fibbing…..you never know…
Emmanuel
Re: the article, when I first saw the schedule I noticed the first 10ish games were against weak opponents, we might get a “Gold Mirage”.
hdbiker7851
No sure it serves any value identifying any team as easy or not – payoff or non-playoff – history has proven time and again Vegas has stumbled against “easy” teams, and it is never a good idea to count your chickens until there hatched. This is how false news gets started. True journalism starts with facts and develops from there, not starting with assumptions and trying to justify the reasoning.
ThG
Fake news!!!
hdbiker7851
same thing Thg
ThG
That is correct
Emmanuel
30 teams won at least 1/3 of their games. Very few “easy” games.
knights fan in minny
The season will be here before you know it with Jack and Mitch inflicting damage
JB
Training camp about a month away! Yahoooo!
trade
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2025 ROOKIE SHOWCASE SCHEDULE
South Suburban Family Sports Center (Highland Ranch, Colorado)
Saturday, September 13 Vegas Golden Knights vs. Utah Mammoth, 3 p.m. MT
Sunday, September 14 Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche, 1 p.m. MT