The success of the Golden Knights goaltenders in the 2023 playoffs will be talked about for years to come. Heck, it’s already being studied by other organizations. We’ve gone over the top offensive plays, so let’s turn our attention to the few that kept the puck out of the net.
A spectacular save by Laurent Brossoit on one end allows Chandler Stephenson to extend the lead to 4-0 just 21 seconds later on the power play. pic.twitter.com/putHIZIWHA
— Golden Knights Radio (@VGKRadioNetwork) April 28, 2023
Golden Knights fans will never forget which goaltender began the 2023 Cup run. Adin Hill earned Conn Smyth votes and a massive post-playoff payday but Laurent Brossoit will always have a special place in team history. Brossoit started eight games, eliminated Winnipeg, and picked up another win in the second round. In his group of playoff games, Vegas’ opening goalie made a few outstanding saves that some might have forgotten. His stop in a deciding Game 5 is worth watching on a loop. After making the initial save, Brossoit was forced to desperately slide across the crease and stop a wide-open shot. The Jets offense was stunned. If it hadn’t been a blowout, LB’s save would have been ranked higher.
The opening shift of a Stanley Cup Final game is not typically a time to get sentimental with decision-making. The Golden Knights still needed to win one more game to reach the mountaintop, and they knew they were facing a team that had been in a 3-1 hole before and dug themselves out.
For Bruce Cassidy though, he knew the time was right.
To start Game 5, Cassidy went off script of both his forward lines and standard operating procedure and chose to tug on some heartstrings instead.
The starting lineup he selected was Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, Reilly Smith, Shea Theodore, and Brayden McNabb. Five of the six original players from the inaugural season that began Vegas’ love affair with the Golden Knights.
I apologized to Will Carrier, I told him, I’m sorry, I can only start one left winger. -Bruce Cassidy
Cassidy reunited the greatest line in Vegas history and used McNabb and Theodore to start a game for the first time during the entire postseason. It was a risk, but he knew it was one worth taking.
Jonathan Marchessault on this time vs. last time in Cup Final
“It’s not as overwhelming as it was the first year. I think we know what we are coming into this time and it feels good to be because. But, this means nothing if we don’t win it and that’s the mentality I have this year.”
Mark Stone on original members of the Golden Knights “finishing what they started”
“I’m not so sure they are here to finish what they started as much as it’s just they want to win. These guys really want to win, man. Everybody in this organization wants to win. The owner stated he wants to win badly and you’ve seen that we’ve spended to the salary cap and we’ve added top-end players and key pieces throughout the time we’ve been here. These guys will do anything it takes.”
Alex Pietrangelo on players asking him about Stanley Cup experiences
“Guys ask the questions and I’ll give them an honest answer and I hope that helps because that feeling of having that opportunity is something we all want to have at least once… if not more.”
Brayden McNabb on playing against physical forecheck
“It’s going to be a physical series. They come hard and they finish their checks and we’re aware of that. It’s going to be about having good first touches, getting to the puck first, and making good reads. There won’t be a single play we can rely on every time either, we’re going to have to moce our feet and make reads and be smart with where we go on the first touch.”
“Dallas is a great forecheck team and we got better and better dealing with it as the series went on.”
Shea Theodore on long layoff before Stanley Cup Final
“We just felt like it was such a long time. When you’re waiting for that first game sometimes it can benefit the guys who are nursing some injuries but I remember us really wanting to get after it. It kind of got us out of a little bit of a rhythm.”
“When we had the layoff we kind of were flashing back to the whole year. It was a magical run and we had a lot of key bounces and we were always scoring timely goals. And then our luck kind of ran out.”
Nic Roy on 4th line being challenged after Game 5
“We felt that challenge and he talked to us a little bit before the game. We know what (Cassidy) expects from us. He wants us to be physical, be hard on the forecheck, and set the tone at the start of the game. That was the message and I thought from the get go we did a really good job of that.”
Jonathan Marchessault on the possibility of the next word engraved on the Cup being Vegas
“It’s a lifetime achievement. You can ask anyone here, what’s your dream if you can have anything you want and winning the Stanley Cup is the answer. It’s what I’ve been working on my entire life.”
In Game 3, Zach Whitecloud scored the first and only goal this postseason from a Golden Knights defenseman. An overlap in coverage by the Oilers found Whitecloud walking in on goal all alone where he ripped a beautiful shot short-side past Stuart Skinner.
In that situation, it was a no brainer for Whitecloud to carry the puck deep into the zone and fire a shot on goal. This series though, Vegas defenseman have had to be ultra careful when they’ve abandoned the blue line to extend plays in the offensive zone.
I th0ught the first 10 minutes of the game opened up because we they were exiting the zone quickly and we gave up some odd-man rushes. That’s a part of the game we’ll look back and say we need to correct that because it could have worked against us. We have to be cognizant of how they can transition quickly to create offense. -Bruce Cassidy
In the 1st period, the Golden Knights gave up three two-on-ones and another even-man break that ultimately led to Edmonton’s only goal of the game. All four followed a similar pattern. When the puck was turned over the Oilers were able to hit one quick pass that eliminated a Vegas defenseman. Once it was a chip past Whitecloud in the neutral zone, another was a pass behind Hague after Nic missed on a shot attempt, and the other two were simple stretch passes to Oilers forwards who had already exited the offensive zone.
Every possession in the offensive zone for the Golden Knights in this series is crucial. To beat the Oilers, Vegas has to spend extended periods of time with the puck as far away from their own goal as possible. This forces the Edmonton’s elite forwards to defend, puts stress on a below-average Oilers’ defense, and if done right, when the puck turns over, makes Edmonton travel through five Vegas players on their way across the offensive blue line.
The Golden Knights have been on a nice run since the All Star break, losing just one game in regulation and cementing their place in the Western Conference playoff picture.
Along the way, there have been a few big-time performers stepping up consistently helping lead VGK to goals and eventually wins. Despite all the winning though, there have been a few disappointments as well, players that will need to step up their game if the Golden Knights want to achieve the ultimate goal by season’s end. And then, there’s been William Karlsson.
We’ll start with the good.
Hot
Jack Eichel 8 goals, 6 assists, 14 points, +10 rating
There’s really no point in doing this list without starting with #9. Eichel has been on his best run as a Golden Knight since the calendar flipped to February and there are no signs of him slowing down. He’s scored goals in seven of the 12 games since the break, and has been on the score sheet with at least a point in nine.
Plus, the goals have been big ones. Eichel gave the Golden Knights a 3rd period lead against both New Jersey and Dallas, he scored twice in the 2nd period to put VGK ahead against Carolina, and his power play goal against the Flames sparked the Golden Knights’ comeback.
And on top of all of it, he just flat-out looks like the best player on the ice most nights. His powerful skating stride is breathtaking and his shotmaking ability at full speed is spectacular.
Theodore returned from his nasty knee injury a few days before the break. He didn’t quite look himself in those games and the results showed. Since, he’s been every bit of the dynamic puck-moving defenseman the Golden Knights knew they had when they signed him to a long-term deal four years ago.
He’s driving offense from all three zones again and putting teams on their heels with his ridiculous puck-handling ability. In the last nine games, Theodore has recorded at least four shots in five of them and he’s averaging nearly 22 minutes of ice time a night, lightening the load on Alex Pietrangelo.
Scoring from the blue line is not exactly the main focal point of the Bruce Cassidy offensive system, but when Shea is going like he is, the offense looks so much more potent.
The Golden Knights entered the 3rd period against the Tampa Bay Lightning with a lead. Of all teams in the NHL, the Lightning stand as one of the best challenges to hold down as a team tries to protect a lead for the final 20 minutes.
On Saturday, the Golden Knights not only did it, but they put on a clinic of exactly how the Bruce Cassidy defensive system can and should operate when it’s working optimally.
For the most part coming back into our own end in the 3rd period we got into our spots and had good sticks and let the play come to us. We didn’t panic. That is as good a test as you are going to have against a very good offensive team. -Cassidy
In a little more than 15 minutes of 5-on-5 play, Vegas allowed Tampa Bay just nine shot attempts, three on goal, four scoring chances, and a measly two high-danger chances. The Lightning spent most of the 3rd period in possession of the puck in the Golden Knights’ end, but couldn’t generate much of anything until it was too late.
There are a couple of things they do really really well in the O-zone. They get moving around, they always have a net presence, and they find those seams. We tightened up after (the first Kucherov chance) and gave them a bit more time to the outside. So we kept them in check for the most part. -Cassidy
Tampa’s high-end offensive weapons make living in the defensive zone a precarious game. They showed it early in the 1st and again during stretches of the 2nd. But the Golden Knights regrouped heading into the 3rd, and shut the door.
Prior to yesterday in Colorado, the last time the Golden Knights played a 3rd period Brayden McNabb watched on TV from somewhere in the basement of T-Mobile Arena. Having been ejected from the game due to a high hit, McNabb was unable to help his team which had also lost another defenseman due to injury.
Against the Avs, he got his redemption.
No, McNabb did not score a goal. Nor did he even record a point. He wasn’t on the ice for the game-winning goal and he didn’t make some heroic play to swipe a puck off the goal line (something he has actually done before).
Instead, he played the best Brayden McNabb-style game we may have ever seen out of Brayden McNabb.
McNabb’s gap control was excellent. His decision-making on the puck was perfect. He challenged passes through the slot and cleared rebounds. He discouraged plays along the wall with his menacing reputation. And maybe most importantly, he made his partner, a 21-year-old playing his 2nd career NHL game, look comfortable, confident, and steady.
Nabber is super easy to play with. He was talking to me the entire time. -Kaedan Korczak
To most fans, McNabb is known as a bit more of a soft-spoken guy. He’s not flashy on or off the ice, which in many ways makes him the classic veteran defense-first defenseman. However, his teammates, especially those who are partnered with him on a D-pair know him in a much different way.
McNabb is widely known in the locker room as one of the best on-ice communicators on the team. He’s been in every situation and seen every different type of play which allows him to talk his partner through anything that’s thrown at him on the ice.
He’s succeeded with puck-moving offensive players like Shea Theodore and Dylan Coghlan, defensive veterans like Deryk Engelland and Alec Martinez, and young players like Daniil Miromanov and Korczak.
Last night in Colorado, McNabb was called upon to shoulder a massive defensive load with three of VGK’s top-six defensemen out injured and a pair of youngsters in the lineup. He played almost six minutes on the penalty kill, dealt a lot with the Avs’ 2nd and 3rd lines, and was called upon to get the Golden Knights to the finish line in the 6-on-5 empty net situation.
McNabb’s final shift of the game was 3:04 as the Avalanche pressed for the game-tying goal. McNabb and his partner at the time, Alex Pietrangelo, constantly locked down the center of the ice while also reading every play perfectly to help Vegas clear the puck five times in the final two minutes.
It wasn’t just his last marathon shift though. McNabb played 10:44 in the 3rd period including five shifts that lasted longer than a minute. In his final three shifts, from the 8:19 remaining mark on the clock, McNabb was on the ice for 5:57 and allowed just three shots on goal. His 24:29 total time on ice is the most he’s recorded in any game this season and he finished the game with a +1 rating.
The Golden Knights outshot the Avs just 10-7 with McNabb on the ice, and they racked up 13-3 scoring chance edge including a 9-1 mark at high danger. McNabb was on the ice for just 0.17 expected goals against, by far the best of any Golden Knight per 60 minutes.
The veteran guys have to step and speak up, demonstrate on the ice, and lead by example. -Bruce Cassidy
McNabb could not have done a better job of that in helping the Golden Knights to a 3-2 win over the reigning Stanley Cup champions.
It’s not often the best player on the ice is a stay-at-home defenseman who plays a game that he does nothing but stay-at-home. For the Golden Knights at Ball Arena last night though, that’s exactly what happened, and Brayden McNabb was that guy.
The Golden Knights’ most dangerous weapon offensively for pretty much the entirety of their existence has been dominance off the rush. When teams allow Vegas to get odd-man rushes, the Golden Knights tend to make them pay.
This year, especially against Los Angeles, Seattle, and Winnipeg, those chances have been plentiful and it’s a huge reason why the Golden Knights sit at 4-1-0 and in 1st in the NHL.
However, even more impressive has been their ability to limit them going the other way. With Bruce Cassidy at the helm, Vegas saw four new forward line combinations, a switch in neutral zone system, and a different plan in the defensive zone as well. Through all of the change, they’ve allowed hardly any 2-on-1 or breakaway chances through five games.
What we wanted to execute was fewer and fewer Grade A chances off the rush. That was brought to my attention this summer so we’ve put some things in place and the players have bought in and believe in it as well. -Bruce Cassidy
The NHL doesn’t publicly offer statistics on odd-man rushes, but having watched every game live and rewatched them all a second or third time, I can confidently say Vegas has allowed fewer than 10 odd-man rushes on the young season. It’s a big reason why the goaltenders have gotten off to a hot start and it’s been crucial in why they haven’t conceded more than three goals in any game this year.
Brayden McNabb is among the best defense-first defensemen in the NHL, and certainly one of the best on the Golden Knights. He’s played more than 600 regular season and playoff games in the NHL, so it’s fair to say he’s seen just about every type of player, offensive system, and situation a defenseman can face.
Following the season, I asked McNabb a question that generated an answer I found telling, even if he didn’t mean it to be taken the way I’m about to take it.
The question was simple, “what makes a team hardest to play against for you as a defenseman?”
If they play fast. If they are putting the puck in and forechecking us and you are getting slammed into the boards every time they do that I don’t care who you ask no one really likes that. Teams that move around in the O-zone, make it difficult by making you make hard reads and making it confusing. -McNabb
It all makes perfect sense and nothing in his answer should be surprising to anyone.
But it made me think…
Do the Golden Knights do any of it?
“Play fast.” At times, sure, I’d argue that the Golden Knights played a fast brand of hockey this season, specifically in transition. When they were turning pucks over in the neutral zone or defensive zone, they sprung into the attack quickly and would often demolish teams on the rush.
In the offensive zone though, fast is not a word most would use to describe the VGK offensive style. They were much more methodical, placing a high preference on puck possession as opposed to quick passing.
Next is forechecking with physicality. This was rarely a part of the Golden Knights’ game this season at all. Vegas was not a heavy dump and chase type team and when they were forced to do it, throwing bodies was not exactly the preferred method of retrieval. Instead, Vegas would send the first player into the zone trying to force the puck along the boards to where the second forechecker would usually be. They’d then try to turn the puck over and hit their third forward coming through the center of the ice, or recycle the puck to eventually generate shots from the point.
The Golden Knights conducted their season-end media availability today at City National Arena. This is the complete unedited audio of every press conference.
