Bruce Cassidy Archives - SinBin.vegas

On May 26, 2023

(Photo Credit: Ken Boehlke, SinBin.vegas)

The Golden Knights have the Stars on the brink. With their backs against the wall, Vegas knew they’d get everything Dallas had left in the tank in Game 4. That of course comes with the cliches of desperation, higher levels of intensity, and in this particular series, trying to keep the season alive long enough to get Jamie Benn back from suspension.

Desperation was the highest it’s been. At home, you know what’s on the line, what the stakes are. Everyone came to play and we’re going to need that same desperation through these next three games. -Jason Robertson

What Game 4 also came with was a few new players in the Dallas lineup, a brand new set of lines through the bottom-nine, and a couple of tactical tweaks.

We felt they were forechecking the puck side very heavily and trying to outnumber us on that side. So that took away a little but of our ability to break out on the strong side. When we did we were good, and we did on the first goal by Karlsson. They were on us quicker after that. So we tried to change sides with some rims and we tried to balance our breakouts but that’s one area I noticed for sure they were more content to forecheck us and it worked for them. -Cassidy

As Cassidy mentioned, one of the first times the Stars tried to aggressively attack the strong side of Vegas’ breakout, the Golden Knights beat it and ended up scoring a goal. Watch.

As you can see, all five Stars players are on one side of the ice. Reilly Smith makes an excellent play along the boards to eliminate the pinching Ryan Suter and the Golden Knights are off to the races.

Of course, there’s a lot more to do on this play to end up putting it into the back of the net (including getting a lot of help from Suter’s peculiar route back into his own zone), but it all started with a clean breakout against a numbers disadvantage along the wall.

That adjustment would pay off for the Stars though. Here’s the very next time they got the puck in deep.

Comeback Kings Of The Postseason

On May 23, 2023

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

13 games into this postseason, we’ve learned a lot about the Vegas Golden Knights. Nothing has become more apparent though than the fact that this year’s team is never out of a game. Game 2 against the Stars was the fourth consecutive game in which the Golden Knights fell behind only to erase the deficit and go on to win the game.

Game 2 was also the seventh time in the last eight games Vegas has allowed the opening goal, and they’ve gone on to win five of them.

We’ve got a thick skin. It’s veteran guys that know one goal is not going to dictate the rest of the game. Usually your goaltender has to make some saves to make sure it doesn’t get out of hand and that’s certainly happened as well. -Bruce Cassidy

The Golden Knights have amassed eight come from behind wins this postseason, the most of any team. Florida is right behind with seven, but no other team has done it more than four times.

This isn’t new for Vegas either. In the 2020-21 season, when VGK also made it to the Conference Final, they posted seven comeback wins of their 10 total playoff victories. So, in the 20 playoff wins VGK have had in the past two postseasons they’ve participated in, 15 have seen them trail at some point.

The most comeback victories in a single playoff run in NHL history is 10 by last year’s Cup champion Colorado Avalanche.

We weren’t on top of our game in Game 2 but we were good enough to find a way to win. That’s been our team this year a little bit. I’ve used the word imperfect a lot because we are, but we find ways to stay in the game and win. That’s a credit to the guys and that’s what’s made us who we are this year. -Cassidy

The Golden Knights have clearly become comfortable in every type of game state. Of the 16 playoff teams, only Edmonton saw a smaller portion of their games with the score tied. VGK’s games have had an average of just 16:50 with the score even. Vegas has trailed for more than a full period per game, 20:26, and yet still have posted a 10-3 record so far.

(Our players) like to win and they know how to win when the game gets close and when it’s winning time. We don’t always look great doing it and I’ll be the first to admit that and we’re working on that every day but there’s an inner confidence in the group. I don’t consider us this cocky arrogant group. They are respectful of the game and the opposition, they just have an inner confidence in each other and that’s come out this year. -Cassidy

They now sit just two wins away from raising a Conference Champions banner for the second time in franchise history, and as they head to Dallas that inner confidence is only growing. Ahead, behind, or even in the rare times when the game is tied, this Golden Knights team always backs itself to come away with the win.

The Golden Knights Forecheck Went After Dallas In Game 1 And They’re Coming Again In Game 2

On May 19, 2023

(Photo Credit: Ken Boehlke, SinBin.vegas)

In Game 1, the game plan for the Golden Knights was simple, literally the age old hockey cliche.

Get it in deep.

From the very first shift of the game the Golden Knights consistently sent puck after puck after puck deep into the Dallas zone and then hounded their defensemen until they’d unwillingly give it back.

Vegas’ forecheck was buzzing from puck drop to the final shift a few minutes into overtime. It’s become the hallmark of the Golden Knights’ offensive system, and the head coach was not shy in making a declaration about it moving forward in the series.

That’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to do it Sunday, so you can put that in print or whatever it is these days. That’s our game and we’re not trying to hide from it. -Bruce Cassidy

Just as it won’t be news to the Stars on Sunday, Vegas’ forecheck didn’t surprise Dallas in Game 1. They knew it was coming, they knew how effective it can be, they just didn’t handle it well at all.

Part of it was execution on us and part of it was them coming at us hard early. You’ve got to give them credit, they were ready to play and they played well. -Pete DeBoer

The dominance of the forecheck was why the ice was tilted so heavily in Vegas’ favor most of the night. The Golden Knights generated 11 takeaways as they denied every exit route out of the Stars end. It looked like they came into the game knowing exactly what Dallas was going to do with the puck, and that’s because, they did.

Like Vegas, Dallas Led By Hockey Lifers Fighting For First Cup

By Jason Pothier

On May 18, 2023

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

When you look up and down the Golden Knights and Stars lineups, you’ll notice many recognizable faces. From the coaches to the captains and all the way down to the depth players there are handfuls of hungry and impatient NHL’ers participating in this year’s Western Conference Final. Each side has gotten close, but neither franchise has raised a Stanley Cup in the Golden Knights era.

That’s why we play. We grew up watching the playoffs every year as a youngster. We’re hoping one day to get that chance. Now that we’re here, we don’t get too many chances like this. I’ve only been in this situation once before and you don’t want to let opportunities like this slip away when you’re so close. -Jamie Benn, Stars captain

Captains Mark Stone and Jamie Benn lead two veteran groups desperate to reach the final round. Stone’s been a part of several deep playoff runs but has never been lucky enough to play in a SCF. He competed once in the conference finals with Ottawa and twice with Vegas. In his own words, this could be his best chance. Likewise for Benn and some of his veteran teammates.

Perennial scapegoat, Benn is used to being the target of angry Stars fans after past playoff exits. However, his impact on the ice was curtailed by first-year coach Pete DeBoer. Benn’s real value will be leading his team in the locker room and on the ice for the 17 minutes he’s averaged this postseason. If they prevail, Benn will undoubtedly receive the most praise from Dallas. Stars’ reporter Sean Shapiro noted DeBoer’s intentions and Benn’s professionalism made way for a resurgence in 2022-23.

Micro-load management by DeBoer revitalized Benn’s game-to-game energy. His minutes dropped, but he was more effective in the time he was on the ice. Benn quietly finished with 78 points, 32 more than he had the previous season and his most since he had 79 in the 2017-18 campaign. He set a career-high with a plus-23 and a career mark for face-off wins, taking more than 60 percent. The Stars are partly in the Western Conference final because Benn allowed himself to be overshadowed. He embraced the supporting role on the ice, but he never relinquished the leadership responsibilities off of it. – Sean Shapiro, Stars reporter

The Stars have several players that could be poster children for NHL players to have accomplished everything without winning an NHL championship. Ageless weapon Joe Pavelski reached the Cup finals twice in his career but fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning. The 38-year-old is running out of opportunities to cement his name in NHL history. Fellow American-born player Ryan Suter has battled for almost two decades to embrace the Stanley Cup.

Power Play Taking Strides, Despite Results Since Game 1

On May 12, 2023

(Photo Credit: Ken Boehlke, SinBin.vegas)

Much of the discourse following Game 4 was about officiating. Both captains spent a portion of their postgame media availability talking about calls that were or were not made, and eventually Alex Pietrangelo and Darnell Nurse each found themselves suspended for Game 5.

Early in the game, there’s no question it felt like the Golden Knights were on the wrong side of the ledger in regards to the refereeing. A soft slashing call on Theodore gave the Oilers their first power play, a retaliation penalty was called on Shea a bit later, and moments before Edmonton’s third goal Mark Stone appeared to get cross-checked into the post which went uncalled.

But, before all of it happened the Golden Knights were on the power play just 30 seconds into the game and then as the calls started to even out in the 2nd, the VGK PP had a chance to dramatically alter the game.

Timely goals, we’ve talked about that a lot, and we didn’t get them, that would be the disappointing thing. -Bruce Cassidy

However, this wasn’t like many of the previous games with power play struggles this season or postseasons of yesteryear.

I thought our sustained pressure was pretty good. We shot, we recovered, we shot, we recovered, so that’s the right mindset. -Jonathan Marchessault

Our power play generated some good looks, I’ve got to give some credit to Skinner and them blocking some shots. -Cassidy

In four power plays, the Golden Knights attempted 16 shots, 10 made it on goal, and they generated 0.82 expected goals. Compare that to the historic Oilers power play who mustered up nine shot attempts, seven shots on goal and 0.86 expected goals in about the same amount of time.

Defensemen Must Successfully Walk Fine Line In Possession vs Gap Control

On May 10, 2023

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

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.

Bruce Cassidy Has Provided VGK All The Answers So Far In Playoffs

On May 9, 2023

(Photo Credit: Ken Boehlke, SinBin.vegas)

In his first postseason behind the Golden Knights’ bench, Bruce Cassidy has been basically flawless. From coaching decisions to motivation to game plans and preparation, Cassidy has had the answer to every question asked of the Golden Knights and it’s a huge reason they’re staring at a Game 4 in Edmonton that could see them seize control of the the second round.

It hasn’t been an easy road this postseason either for Vegas. The decision-making process had to begin with a tricky one heading into the very first game of the playoffs. With Mark Stone ready to return to the lineup, where would he slot into a group that had been playing great hockey.

Cassidy opted to create a balanced lineup with three sets of high-end pairs anchoring each line. To say it has worked would be a massive understatement. The Golden Knights have used the depth to the tune of 31 goals in eight games including an incredible 30 from forwards.

The paired off lineup has helped players like Brett Howden, Michael Amadio, and Ivan Barbashev make major contributions both on the scoresheet and defensively. Even the tweaks Cassidy has made along the way have worked with Barbashev moving down to the 4th line in the Winnipeg series where he had multiple goal contributions.

Then, another tough decision cropped up when William Carrier was ready to play. Cassidy did not hesitate in making the difficult decision to healthy scratch the NHL’s iron man, Phil Kessel, forcing him to watch his first NHL game from the press box since 2009.

Next, Cassidy’s game plans for each series have provided the Golden Knights a simple style of hockey that has helped them be effective against two excellent opponents. Even when games have not gone VGK’s way, Cassidy has stuck with the plan of dumping the puck in and forcing the opposing team to deal with a heavy forecheck. Each of Vegas’ two losses have been erased instantly the following game with night and day efforts to the previous game in terms of style.

VGK Won’t Stray From Plan To Open Periods Despite Oilers’ Firepower

On May 6, 2023

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

Right before the national anthems at every Golden Knights home game, the public address announcer introduces Vegas’ starting lineup to the crowd. If you didn’t know better, you’d probably expect to hear names like Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, or William Karlsson. But, instead, almost every night it’s Nic Roy, William Carrier, and Keegan Kolesar.

Throughout his time behind the Vegas bench, Bruce Cassidy has always preferred to start his fourth line. He says it’s to “set the tone” or “get the team playing the right way” and while those cliches are all good and well, what he really means is he wants a simple start that will keep anything crazy from happening.

The Golden Knights’ 4th line plays a very elementary style of hockey. Get the puck, gain the center red line, send it to the back glass, and then go hit people until they get it back. There’s nothing flashy about it, and most of the time it doesn’t generate much offensively. What it also doesn’t do though is allow the other team much of anything. If Vegas wins the draw, there’s a really good chance it’ll be 200 feet away from the Golden Knights’ goal in seconds. If they lose it, the trio of Roy, Carrier, and Kolesar are excellent at locking down the neutral zone and forcing a dump-in the other way. Again, nothing flashy, and likely nothing really happening.

It’s been successful against pretty much every team in the NHL this season, and it’s a strategy that’s not new to Cassidy. Both Pete DeBoer and Gerard Gallant liked to deploy the fourth line to open games as well.

However, the Edmonton Oilers offer something much different than every other team in the league. Not only do the Oilers have the best player in the game, they also have arguably the second-best player, and to start games and periods, they often send them both out together.

They feel they have an advantage putting Draisaitl and McDavid together, and they’re right, they are two of the best players in the world and they are dynamic, so I get it. But we have to try and counter it the best way possible. -Bruce Cassidy

How The Golden Knights Successfully Slowed Down Edmonton’s Zone Entries In Game 1

On May 4, 2023