Paul Cotter Archives - SinBin.vegas

On December 7, 2022

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

It’s a problem that’s common around the NHL, and it’s certainly not new here in Las Vegas, but the Golden Knights have once again found themselves searching for the identity of their 3rd line.

The top six, bolstered by superstars Jack Eichel and Mark Stone, and supported by The Misfits, have set the tone for the team both offensively and defensively. It’s clear what is expected of them each and every night and typically they deliver.

The 4th line, which has mostly been anchored by the pair of William Carrier and Keegan Kolesar, has been dubbed the “Energy Line” by Bruce Cassidy. Their expectation is to play a physical, north/south style of game in order to make life difficult on the other team no matter which line they play against. They’ve done exactly that the entire season and have even chipped in a bit more offense than expected along the way.

But the 3rd line remains a bit of an enigma. Is it a checking line? Is it a defense-first shutdown line? Is it supposed to be the main source of supplemental offense?

What is the identity of that line supposed to be?

Well, I know what I’d like it to be but you can’t make players something they’re not. I’d like to have the type of line that can play in any type of game. Forecheck game, check well in close scoring game, and secondary offense. We have some guys at the top of the lineup that are giving us good offensive numbers so we don’t necessarily need just an offensive line. We need a 200-foot, heavier type of game line would be the best way to describe it. -Bruce Cassidy

Even before the injury bug hit the Golden Knights a bit, it’s been a bit of a revolving door on the 3rd line. While each of the top line (Stephenson, Eichel, Stone), the Misfit Line (Smith, Karlsson, Marchessault), and the 4th line (Carrier, Roy, Kolesar) have seen at least 16 of the 27 games together, no 3rd line has started more than seven games together.

There have been nine different 3rd line combinations with six of them playing three or fewer games together.

In a perfect world there would be some similarities to the Carrier, Kolesar (line). Physical people that maybe have a little more offensively tilted game, but that’s not Phil (Kessel), we know that. It is Nic Roy, so that’s why we moved him there and if we can find the right left-winger to complement both of those guys then we’ll have something. But until we do we’ll keep trying. -Bruce Cassidy

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS 4 BOSTON 3 SO (19-7-1, 39 PTS)

By Jason Pothier

On December 5, 2022

The Golden Knights wrapped up their road trip with an emotional game in Boston. Vegas came out motivated to preform for their head coach Bruce Cassidy in his first matchup against his old team. Paul Cotter scored 1:36 into the game, giving his team and coach an early lead. Minutes later Jonathan Marchessault fired in his 10th goal of 2022-23.

Again, Cotter immediately got back to work in the middle frame. This time it only took 0:51 to pick up his second of the game and extend VGK’s lead to 3-0. Boston made a push in the second half of the period and cut Vegas’ advantage to 3-2 after two periods played.

Boston evened the score early with a PP goal 3:08 into the final period. Both teams would have several chances but couldn’t break the tie. The heavyweight bout would need overtime and eventually a shootout to settle the score. Reilly Smith ended the game with a five hole winner.

The Golden Knights record improves to (19-7-1) defeating the Bruins 4-3 in shootouts. After a successful Eastern Conference road trip, Vegas will head home for a three game set against the Rangers, Flyers and Bruins. Wednesday’s game vs. New York is scheduled for 7P PT.

If you’re Bruce Cassidy here between periods, what is your move? Appeal to emotions and what this game means to him and this team?
Or focus on the tactical x’s / o’s?
Or both?
Why?
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) December 6, 2022

Well how do you like them apples? https://t.co/mb2d5UrNMP pic.twitter.com/nN854tqdED
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) December 6, 2022

(Tweets/Analysis by Gold Medalist Connor Fields)

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS 3 COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS 2 (17-6-1, 35 PTS)

By Jason Pothier

On November 28, 2022

The Golden Knights hit the road for a four-game road trip to the Eastern Conference starting in Columbus. Vegas took a 2-0 lead in the opening period, receiving goals from William Karlsson and William Carrier.

Columbus scored the only goal on the 2nd period, cutting Vegas’ lead in half.

The Golden Knights record improves to (17-6-1) defeating the Blue Jackets 3-2 in shootout. Vegas will travel to Pittsburgh for their second of the four-game road trip. Puck drop against the Penguins is scheduled for 4P PT. (Recap by Jason)

Close up of Eichel shows two spots for stitches. Saving grace is that it looks like the puck sort of hit him flat. Lucky he doesn't have a broken eye-socket.
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) November 29, 2022

Shootout. Round 7
CBJ – MISS
VGK – Cotter – SCORE with a SICK GOAL
VGK takes 2 points out of Columbus
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) November 29, 2022

(Analysis/Tweets by Marc Savard)

Paul Cotter And Sakari Manninen Making Early Push For Roster Spots

On September 26, 2022

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

The Golden Knights came into training camp without much uncertainty in the lineup. Sure there are guys who could solidify roles on different lines or pairs, but the 18 skaters expected to be on the ice for Vegas when they head to Los Angeles are pretty set.

That being said, there are a few guys in camp trying to challenge that sentiment, and through just a few days, they are doing it.

The first of those is Paul Cotter. The former 4th round pick saw minimal action in the NHL a year ago, but he made the most of it scoring twice in seven games.

In his first preseason game, he scored again, and drew high praise from the new head coach.

He was our best player. Not because he scored. He had three good looks. The offensive side was really good. He tracked and finished at least three checks, took good angles, and eliminated guys from the play. -Bruce Cassidy

For the first time in his career, Cotter is no long waiver exempt, which makes the decision even more difficult on the Golden Knights. If he can continue to do the things that impress Cassidy, he’ll likely pique the interest of other coaches around the league making him dangerous to place on waivers.

Vegas Catching Up With The Eastern Conference

By Jason Pothier

On November 19, 2021

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

After defeating the Detroit Red Wings last night, Vegas clawed back to one game under .500 against Eastern Conference teams this season. The Golden Knights received three goals from defensemen, one from veteran Reilly Smith and rookie Paul Cotter added another. Whatever coach Pete DeBoer drew up before the game, it couldn’t have worked out any better than their well-rounded 5-2 result. It hasn’t gone as smoothly against other teams from the East.

On Tuesday, the Golden Knights faced a much more complete team and lost by two at home. Carolina is one of the NHL’s best overall clubs, and happen to be much healthier than Vegas. The Hurricanes high end forwards and mobile defense troubled the Golden Knights. Star forward Sebastian Aho shot seven times, registering 2 points and the Canes took 14 shots from defensemen. Carolina boasts 3.5 goals per game and like Vegas receive a good percentage of their offense from their blue line. Injuries aside, both rosters are among the elite and would make for an entertaining final.

The NY Islanders were another Eastern Conference team Vegas struggled with, losing 2-0 at T-Mobile Arena in late October. New York played defensively, waited out mistakes, forcing Vegas into bad shots and one and out opportunities. The Golden Knights fell into the Islanders trap and outshot New York two to one, but were out scored 2-0. Games against New York are consistently uneventful and Vegas will need patience and quality shooting to win a tight, low scoring contest. Unfortunately, the Golden Knights fell in similar fashions in back-to-back semifinals, so there’s plenty to learn from an Islanders loss.

At times in an NHL season it’s pick your poison night; a slow frustrating game or an exhaustive track meet. Earlier this month, Vegas traveled and lost by four in Toronto. The loss wasn’t the problem, the concern was the Golden Knights getting blanked 4-0. We’re all aware of Toronto’s weak defense and goaltending of the past, so at full strength Vegas should capitalize.

Rookie Game Takeaways – Game 3 vs. Anaheim

On September 12, 2019

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

The Golden Knights finished the Rookie Showcase in Irvine winless and looking rather listless for a majority of the three games. However, there were plenty of positives to take away from the tournament in terms of individual players. I wrote up recaps from Games 1 and 2 earlier, this one is a bit more of a recap of the whole weekend, but includes Game 3.

The standout of the entire weekend was Dylan Coghlan. His offensive game popped consistently no matter the situation, and he was one of the most responsible defensemen in his own zone. He personally scored three of the team’s seven goals and registered a beautiful primary assist on another. There’s still a long way to go, and rookie games probably hold the least weight in comparison to full training camp and preseason games, but Coghlan’s performance in Irvine will absolutely play a part in the final decision as to which defenseman stays with the team when camp breaks in a few weeks.
Paul Cotter did well to start the process of cementing himself as a pro. He was one of the few Golden Knights to play with an edge and it led to him being in the middle of a lot of the team’s best offensive plays. He still has a lot to prove over the next week or two before he’s sent out of camp and either to the OHL or the AHL, but those three games were a giant leap towards Chicago.

Rookie Game Takeaways – Game 2 vs. Arizona

On September 10, 2019

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

My biggest takeaway from Game 2 of the Rookie Showcase in Irvine is that the Golden Knights sent out a roster that wasn’t good enough to compete in that game, and they still managed to play two solid periods. Let’s be quite honest with what the Vegas roster looked like against Arizona. They had just five forwards of their 12 that were drafted by the Golden Knights. Plus, their defense was without Jimmy Schuldt. Simply put, this game had little to do with the score and even less to do with the team as a whole. In games like this, it’s all about individuals and their path to eventually becoming contributors at the NHL level. Some did just that, others did not, but the terrible period, the apparent lack of energy, and the inability to generate offense as a team means little to nothing ~~so stop tweeting me about it~~.

The first name to highlight is one that’s almost been written off as a Golden Knights prospect, and that’s Jake Leschyshyn. He shows excellent flashes of speed, looked terrific helping to generate offense through the neutral zone and into the o-zone, and looked his normal stellar self backchecking and defending. The former 2nd round pick has not shown a ton while wearing a Golden Knights jersey over the past two summers (partially due to the injury that caused him to miss one), but in this game we could finally see some of the traits that garnered that selection. He plays in all situations and has always been good on the defensive end, but he is finally starting to assert himself a bit more in offensive situations. I’m hoping to see him with Cotter, Rondbjerg, and/or Elvenes in the final game, then we should get to see even more offense show up.
Jordan Kooy continues to establish himself as one of, if not the most, promising goalie prospect the Golden Knights have. His size is a big part of that when comparing him to Dylan Ferguson (who will be in the net for the 3rd game). Kooy looks comfortable in his goal no matter what’s going on in front of him, and since that one scrimmage that was a disaster, there hasn’t been a single soft goal scored on him since while in a Vegas net. He was under siege for most of this game and helped keep the score looking respectable.

Rookie Game Takeaways – Game 1 vs. Colorado

On September 9, 2019

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

It’s been a busy weekend of throwing magenta ping pong balls and raising a butt-ton of money for charity, which has left us at SinBin.vegas a bit behind. But, if Golden Knights hockey happens, you best believe we’re going to watch it, and thanks to this fantastic thing called the Internet, we’ve been able to go back and watch the rookie games we’ve missed, (Here’s the link) and now I’m here with takeaways from the Vegas rookie loss to Colorado.

The best player on the ice for me was Zach Whitecloud and to be honest it wasn’t all that close. There were flashes from many other guys, which we’ll get to in a moment, but Whitecloud was a steady calming force on the back-end, consistently making the right read and play. His gap control continues to impress and his skating is so solid that he’s able to keep his positioning in any situation that’s thrown his way. He was reliable on the penalty kill and helped allow Nic Hague to get forward time and time again. Whitecloud plays a VGK style of defense, which is a different way to say, simple yet effective. Not that this should come as a surprise, but there’s absolutely a shot he wins the job and finds himself in the Golden Knights starting lineup on October 2nd.
Behind Whitecloud, there were two other major standouts, Paul Cotter and Jonas Rondbjerg.
- Cotter, playing center with two non-roster players (Pavel Gogolev and Charles Antoine-Roy) consistently drove offense. He has an incredibly high compete level that reminds me a bit of Jonathan Marchessault. Cotter believes that every puck is his and he’s not afraid to bully his way through someone to take it from someone or to get it back. The best skill he displayed though was his vision through the neutral zone. Three or four times Cotter carrier or passed the puck through the neutral zone to lead directly to scoring chances. Great first step towards his goal of being in the AHL rather than OHL this year.
- Rondbjerg has the Golden Knight style of hockey written all over him. He’s a ferocious forechecker who uses his stick well to rip the puck off defenders. There had to be five different instances that the Golden Knights lost the puck in the offensive zone and Rondbjerg either got it back himself or helped to get it back to keep a play alive. Then there’s his backchecking, which might be even better than his forechecking. He’s non-stop getting back into his own zone and he has the foot speed and the stick to go along with his willingness to defend. Gerard Gallant is going to love this kid, and if he finds even an ounce of finish, so are VGK fans.

Paul Cotter: “I’m Ready For The AHL”

On September 6, 2019