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Tag: Bruce Boudreau

Teams With Opposite Starts To The Season Crash Tonight In Vancouver

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On November 21, 2022

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

Saturday’s game in Edmonton didn’t end like the Golden Knights had planned. In reality, when superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl score in the same game, picking up a point isn’t half bad. With a win tonight in Vancouver, Vegas will have a chance to return home with three of a possible four divisional points. Not bad for a two game set against Pacific teams scratching and clawing for wins.

Okay, it’s not a five game, eleven day road trip to the East Coast but traveling to Western Canada can be a challenge. Rewind back to last season when the Golden Knights were chasing instead of leading the division. Edmonton and Vancouver pitched in by spoiling Vegas’ 2021-22 playoff dreams. In three crucial games in mid-April, Vegas left Western Canada with on win.

This season the tables have turned. At the moment, Vegas has a 96% chance to qualify for the playoffs, Vancouver has a bleak 21% chance. There’s no sugar-coating it, the Canucks have had a nightmare start to the season. Just picture the complete opposite of the Golden Knights first 19 games. Not only does losing suck but each Vancouver loss is followed with unpleasant questions about coach dismissals, player fire sales and underachieving personnel. From this point going forward Vancouver will have to outperform the entire division for a sniff of a playoff run.

We know who are next opponents are. You keep the shots to the outside. Most of them won’t go in.-Bruce Boudreau, Canucks coach

For the Golden Knights, it’s another opportunity to separate themselves from another club in the Pacific. So far, the Golden Knights have earned at least one point in five of six divisional matchups. If they pick up any more tonight, Vegas will have points against each Pacific team with the exception of Calgary. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until late February for a second battle with the Flames.

Seattle Tonight, Eager Vancouver Next

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On April 1, 2022

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

I’m sure many Golden Knights fans were up scoreboard watching last night hoping the Dallas Stars and LA Kings would each drop two points. Unfortunately, both teams teased local fans and won in overtime and a shootout. My suggestion, pace yourself. With many tight races there could be some stressful nights ahead.

Tonight, the Golden Knights will play an opponent they have and should handle easily. Of course, it’s possible Seattle ends Vegas’ three-game win streak but in reality, the visiting team should leave with four points. It’ll alleviate some pressure heading into Sunday’s game against Vancouver.

I told a story today. I said my first year coaching in the NHL we needed to win 12 out of the last 13 games,” and we did. And we had to win the last seven and we did to get in by one point. These things happen. By no stretch does anybody, unless they’re lying to me, think that we’re done. But, I mean, we have to go on a pretty good run.-Bruce Boudreau, Canucks coach

After Seattle, Vegas will face an eager Vancouver team in an old-fashioned home-and-home matchup. The two teams meet up a final time on April 12th. While the playoffs look dim for the Canucks, they are led by a coach that thrives as an afterthought. There’s no doubt Vancouver will be in postseason mode against Vegas. Essentially, their season could come down to the next two games.

I try to stay away from the big things and try and make it more palatable. They can buy into and say ‘all we have to do is play good tonight and let’s worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.’-Bruce Boudreau, Canucks coach

I’m sure Golden Knights coach Pete DeBoer has his own anecdotes and stories he passes along to his players as well. The only difference is Vancouver needs a miracle to survive while Vegas is expected to participate in the playoffs. DeBoer would be ecstatic picking up another win tonight and four combined points against the Kraken. The Golden Knights longest winning streak is five games so he’s aware it’s unlikely to continue against other desperate teams. It’s vital to pluck points from every lottery team left on Vegas’ schedule.

  • Tonight @ Seattle
  • April 9th vs. Arizona
  • April 18th vs. New Jersey
  • April 24th vs. San Jose
  • April 27th @ Chicago

The Golden Knights are fully aware that if they take advantage of lighter opponents the playoffs will be in their grasp. They cannot afford to let games slip away so it’s only worth focusing on one game at a time. Take control of the next three games and Vegas will nearly eliminate Vancouver, and be in a temporary playoff position. Then they’ll likely need to sweep their Alberta trip and leapfrog Dallas in the final week of the season.

Nevermind my earlier advice, after tonight the stress level will be unbearable. Hopefully, we’ll get a night off from scoreboard watching.

Coach vs Coach: How Does Pete DeBoer Stack Up With Western Conference Opponents?

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On December 24, 2021

In Game Analysis

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

Pete DeBoer has been a head coach in the NHL since 2008. He’s stood behind the bench of four different teams while coaching 965 regular season games. He’s brought two different teams to the Stanley Cup Final, has been to the Conference Final five times, and has coached 123 playoff games.

Add it all up and it’s fair to say DeBoer has seen and done pretty much everything as a coach except for that one ultimate thing.

The plan this year is for him to tick that final box and to do it he’ll have to guide another stacked Golden Knights team through the rest of this regular season and then past four different opponents in the playoffs. It’s that last part where he really becomes the focal point.

But let’s start with the regular season, where DeBoer has been nothing short of dominant as the coach of the Golden Knights. He’s led VGK to a 75-31-4 record good for a .700 points percentage or a 115 point regular season pace.

Thanks to some help from MoreHockeyStats.com, we can see that DeBoer has not only dominated most Pacific Division coaches while in Vegas, but over his entire career (except for one).

Dallas Eakins (ANA): 12-4
Bob Boughner (SJS): 9-3
Dave Hakstol (SEA): 8-2
Darryl Suter (CGY): 14-10
Todd McLellan (LAK): 20-18
Dave Tippett (EDM): 11-12
Bruce Boudreau (VAN): 14-24

Eakins, Hakstol, and Boughner are the coaches he’s been most successful against in the Pacific, but they all pale in comparison to DeBoer’s 9-win advantage on Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar. This brings us to the postseason.

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Former NHL Coach Praises Vegas For Their Culture And Success

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On December 9, 2020

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

After three seasons in the league, no Western Conference team has pestered the Golden Knights like the Minnesota Wild. In eight games, the Wild are 6-1-1 against Vegas, including a 3-1-0 record at T-Mobile Arena. Minnesota’s success against Vegas came under former coach Bruce Boudreau who was happy to share his Sin City experiences with TSN Toronto.

We had great results in Vegas. In the three years they were in the league we’ve only lost once. If you look at our team in Minnesota out of the nine games in three years we only lost once to them. –Bruce Boudreau, Former NHL coach on TSN Toronto

Although he’s off by one game, Boudreau clearly enjoyed road trips to Vegas. His teams had success and he met his favorite poker player, Daniel Negreanu.

The 2007-08 Jack Adams winner was at first concerned about how his players would perform in Las Vegas, especially since there were reports of the “Vegas Flu” infecting incoming teams.

When we got the schedule the first thing that I was hoping was that we played somewhere else the night before. You’d get in at two in the morning and you’d go straight to bed. –Boudreau, TSN Toronto

Boudreau took a more laid-back approach when his team traveled to Las Vegas though. Sure, it was possible his players would take advantage of the unique NHL stopover, but he didn’t set any mandates. The coach’s main focus was planning on how to beat a really good Golden Knights club. Boudreau didn’t police his squad when they visited any other city so why change when they hit the Strip?

The one thing I found over the years is guys are really professional. If we had a day off you could see them all at the tables and they were playing. They weren’t drinking or anything. I’d much rather have them do that for a couple of hours. I don’t think they ever worried if the lost a thousand or won a thousand. –Boudreau, TSN Toronto

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Wild Feeling Pretty Pretty Pretty Good About Potentially Seeing Vegas Again In April

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On March 17, 2018

In Game Analysis

We’ve forgotten about them right now until the thing happens. -Bruce Boudreau, Wild Head Coach

There’s just something about the Wild… in the regular season. (Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

The ‘thing’ that Boudreau was referring to is a potential playoff matchup against the Golden Knights. It’s not the matchup as of right now, but Minnesota’s holds just a three point lead on the wild card teams which means a date with Vegas is certainly a realistic possibility.

Boudreau’s nickname is Gabby, because he’s constantly gabbing. However, he gave short responses when I asked how a season sweep could carry over to the postseason.

Playoffs are a whole different animal. But this was as close to a playoff matchup you’ll get. -Boudreau

Unlike their coach, the Wild players didn’t downplay the season sweep.

Yeah I think we can use this confidence. I think to have the psychological advantage over them says something. We can definitely use that. -Charlie Coyle, Wild Forward

Coyle scored his 11th goal of the season on Friday night.

We’d be pretty confident playing against these guys. For some reason we play well against them every game. We see our real team when we play against these guys. -Coyle

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