Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone (61) gives a tap to Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Logan Thompson (36) after denying a shot on goal by the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period of an NHL hockey game at T-Mobile Arena Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. The Vegas Golden Knights beat Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1.
Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022 | 2 a.m.
The top teams through the initial month of the NHL season are familiar to Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy: his Vegas squad and the Boston Bruins.
The Golden Knights and Bruins are tied atop the league’s standings at 16 points. The Bruins, the team Cassidy coached for six years before he was fired and then hired by Vegas this summer, have a game in hand and an edge on percentage points (.889 to .800).
Given the uncertainty of the Golden Knights’ roster heading into this year — fresh off missing the playoffs in 2022 for the first time — this start couldn’t have worked out better.
They have two goalies in Logan Thompson (1.69) and Adin Hill (1.72) in the top six in goals-against average individually (combined, the 1.70 GAA is tops in the league in terms of goalie tandems). All but two of their 21 skaters that have played this season have registered at least a point, and 14 skaters have scored at least one goal.
“I think on the outside looking in, people automatically assumed it was going to be not good, and I get it, on paper,” Cassidy said. “But the game’s not played on paper.”
The Golden Knights haven’t played a “bad game” to this point. They’ve had bad stretches, like committing six penalties in the second period Oct. 18 in Calgary — a 3-2 loss — and giving up two power-play goals in a 3-2 loss to the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche four days later.
How quickly Vegas has picked up on Cassidy’s new system — one designed to turn defense into offense — has come as a surprise. The Golden Knights have allowed a league-few 17 goals in all situations.
Offensively, Vegas continues to show improvement and is second in the league in scoring chances that resulted in goals. They rank third in high-danger chances, generally from close toward the net to 5-10 feet away.
“You never know until you get here how it’s going to be perceived,” Cassidy said of how quickly his players have picked up his coaching system. “The guys have bought in. There are still areas that we need to get better at. … In general, they’ve grasped the concepts of what we’re trying to do: Keep our defensemen close to the net; protect the slot; kill plays when we can when it gets outside with those 50-50 pucks.”
Part of that defensive success comes from blocked shots, a strength the Golden Knights have had in years past. Vegas leads the league with 206 total blocked shots, 39 more than the second-place New York Islanders. Defenseman Alec Martinez leads the league with 45, while fellow blue liners Brayden McNabb (24) and Zach Whitecloud (23) are in the top-11.
The defensive commitment has made it possible for Vegas to be efficient on the counter attack. Take the top line of Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and Chandler Stephenson, for example.
When Martinez is skating with that trio, they’ve allowed only six scoring chances at 5-on-5. Martinez has been on the ice with the top line for two of the five goals they’ve scored at even strength.
“I’ve had a lot of coaches and some of it’s in midseason, some of it’s at the start, but I think we’ve adapted well (at the start of a coach’s tenure),” defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. “It’s a good thing so far. There’s still a lot of things within our group that we need to get better at.”
The Golden Knights start a five-game road trip tonight against the Washington Capitals, the first big test for this group. They’ve aced the first month.
Ten games down, 72 to go.
“We’re happy to be going on the road,” Stone said. “It’s super important to be banking (points) at this time of year.”
Stephenson remains stellar
If there was any doubt to Chandler Stephenson continuing his stellar play from last year, it’s been eradicated so far.
Stephenson, moved to left wing to play with Stone and Eichel on the Golden Knights’ top line, had a five-game point streak end Sunday against Winnipeg. Coming off a career-high 21 goals last season, Stephenson scored four goals during that point streak.
“People had talked to me about Chandler. I’ve seen him, but until you see him up close, he can impact the game with his speed. Because he’s got size, too, he gets separation,” Cassidy said. “To see him firsthand is something else.”
Stephenson has been a natural center throughout his career, but his speed allows him to play an off position with Stone and Eichel. So far, that hasn’t diminished his production.
Silver Knights struggle
The Henderson Silver Knights have the worst record in the American Hockey League with a 2-6-0 mark through eight games. They snapped a five-game losing skid Saturday by beating the Colorado Eagles, 4-2.
“Got to build on it. You’ve got to build on this momentum,” Silver Knights coach Manny Vivieros said. “Don’t forget how difficult it was to win. I’m happy for some of the guys we did challenge.”
One of those players is likely to have been top prospect Brendan Brisson, who scored just his second goal of the season against Colorado. Top blue liner Kaedan Korczak has just two points.
Leading Henderson in scoring with seven points is five-year league veteran Sheldon Rempal.
Upcoming schedule
• 4 p.m. today at Washington
• 4 p.m. Thursday at Ottawa
• 4 p.m. Saturday at Montreal
Games televised on AT&T SportsNet, (Cox channel 313, DirecTV 674)
