Despite being hurt and struggling, the Golden Knights bravely defeated the Bruins to reclaim their identity.
The Golden Knights’ chances of winning the game against Boston on Thursday night were dim halfway through the second period.
In a couple of minutes, their two top forwards, Jack Eichel and Mark Stone, both went into the tunnel hurt. A number of important players, including William Karlsson, Shea Theodore, and Alin Hill, were already absent for the club.
When they arrived from the altitude of Colorado late on Wednesday night, they faced a strong Bruins team that was waiting for them in Las Vegas, and they were trapped in a goal drought that lasted more than 100 minutes. This was the second night of a back-to-back.
It prepared the audience for an extraordinarily brave finale that could be the catalyst this squad needs after dropping eight of its previous eleven games. Both Stone and Eichel made a comeback and were crucial to the team’s 2-1 overtime victory.
After the game, coach Bruce Cassidy remarked, “I like the way we won, but it was a good win against a really good hockey team.” “We completely destroyed it. We remained resilient despite the fact that the hockey was playoff-style.
Before Thursday’s game, the Golden Knights had a team meeting instead of a morning skate. The subject of discussion was identity.
“Who are we to start moving again if we wish to? Cassidy declared, “Our goal is to become the Vegas Golden Knights.” “What’s that about? Obviously, it’s working as a team. It’s challenging to play against. When the circumstances call for it, it’s using offensive creativity and talent. Being astute. We seemed to have ticked off a number of those boxes.
It extended beyond the previous 11 games. Vegas’ record is below .500 since Nov. 5, and during that time the defensive game that served as the backbone for last year’s title has deteriorated substantially. Vegas went 11-0-1 in the first month of the season while allowing a league-high 2.0 goals per game. It has since surrendered 3.14, placing 19th throughout that time.
Recently, the Golden Knights have struggled with scoring as well, but their main goal was to strengthen their defensive system, which they achieved against the Bruins.
“We focused on playing solid team defense going into tonight, and I think we did a good job of it,” Eichel remarked. “I felt that everyone was on board, and Logan Thompson performed admirably for us.”
While injuries played a role in the downturn, Alex Pietrangelo, who scored the game-winning extra goal on Thursday, thinks the club learned from the devastating run of injuries it endured in 2021–2022.
Pietrangelo stated, “I think that there are times when you really have to fall back and rely on your structure, especially when guys go down.” “The system needs to be trusted, even though some players may be playing more minutes than others.”
With Theodore out of the starting lineup, Pietrangelo has played a lot of minutes. Throughout this difficult period, he and fellow seasoned defenseman Alec Martinez have been crucial in keeping things together.
According to Cassidy, “I think they keep the rest of the group in a good place and grounded.” “Just like tonight, I think Petro and Marty should get a lot of credit for leading our defense against a very strong offensive team, staying focused on the job at hand, and competing in front of you.”
The game on Thursday was a close-checking battle with limited space for offensive play on either side of the rink. For many players in Vegas, it was just the type of test they needed to shake off their recent slump.
For us, being difficult to play against was an identity game, according to Cassidy. The Bruins were tough to play against, so I believe they would agree. You’re in for a playoff-style struggle, and I believe that the more of those games we play, the better we’ll be.
During a hit near the walls in the midst of the game, Eichel broke his skate blade and needed assistance from teammates to go to the bench. He appeared uncomfortable once there, so someone had to help him down the tube. After receiving a shot to the hand or arm a few minutes later, Stone quickly skated off the ice and into the dressing room.
“We are aware that losing elite players is a test,” Cassidy remarked. One of the things that goes through everyone’s mind when they fall is, “What next?”
After coming back, Eichel scored on a power play to give Vegas the game’s first lead. In overtime, Stone returned to make the game-winning play, laying Pietrangelo a flawless backhand pass.
After a 26-game goal drought, Pietrangelo noted, “I needed that one.” But it was a really good pass from Stoney. If you watch the replay, you can see that there wasn’t much space to thread that through. He is paid for what he does because of this. It was a tremendous play, and I had no trouble putting it in the wide open.
For the Golden Knights, Thursday’s victory was a “get-right” game in many aspects. They were once again the formidable defense team that made life very difficult for the opposition’s attack. In the most important situations, their top players came through. In order to prevent the Bruins from scoring as the players in front of him settled into a groove, Thompson played a great goalie. The special teams, who have been sorely lacking for Vegas this season, proved to be a major factor in the victory.
It is not a universal solution. There are still a number of potential injuries. It seemed as though Cassidy doesn’t think Stone and Eichel will be included on that roster.
Regarding his two star forwards, he added, “I’m going to say that tomorrow is an off day and they should be good to go Saturday, I’m assuming. This has been a funky year with injuries.” “Let’s check in with them.”
Even though it was just one game, it was an excellent illustration of the kind of hockey the Golden Knights intend to play again. Human nature may have contributed to some of this downturn. They had an exciting Cup run only ago, and their strong start to the season has comfortably placed them in the postseason. It seems sense that they haven’t always had the necessary intensity.
The Golden Knights looked like they did the last time they played one of those: difficult to beat. Thursday’s game seemed more like a playoff game.
“We seemed desperate, and I believe we need that,” Eichel remarked. Our team’s victory was just quite courageous. There were many positive aspects of tonight, and we must continue to build on them.