The Vegas Golden Knights haven’t played their best game. Despite collecting 50 wins and 110 points this team has another gear. Maybe more.
They’ll need to continually raise their level with each round for which they qualify when the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin on Sunday night at T-Mobile Arena. They need to be better in the first round to beat the Minnesota Wild. And if they can do that, they’ll need to raise their game again. And again, and again.
Think back to 2022-23 when the Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup. They got progressively better as the playoffs continued. By the time they got to the Western Conference Final they were unstoppable. Somehow they were even better in a five-game dismantling of the Florida Panthers to win the Cup.
Late in that regular season, veteran defenseman Alec Martinez stated the Golden Knights weren’t playing their best hockey and that was a good thing. They would need higher gears in the games to come. That’s how a team wins the Stanley Cup.
“You don’t want to be at your best in January,” said Martinez. “You want to hit your stride when the playoffs start and then keep raising your game.”
For Vegas it’s all about puck management. Coach Bruce Cassidy is as technical as the next coach when it comes to systems. He has a winning structure that he knows how to teach and implement. But when Vegas is right, it all comes back to puck management for the coach and his team.
If Vegas doesn’t give the puck away between the blue lines, they are near impossible to beat. GM Kelly McCrimmon has built a big, fast and skilled team with depth. The lineup is littered with players who can make plays. They are elite down the middle with Jack Eichel, Tomas Hertl, William Karlsson and Nic Roy at center. The defense corps is balanced with high end skilled players such as Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin. Vegas has one of the league’s best defensive defenseman in Brayden McNabb. Alex Pietrangelo has been fighting injury but when he’s on his game, he’s as competitive and effective as the best in the NHL. Zach Whitecloud and Nic Hague have both taken another step this season and are physical players who can restrict time in the defensive zone.
Goalie Adin Hill is a proven Stanley Cup winning goalie. Vegas lacks for very little.
But at this time of year it’s as much about what you leave as what you take. The Golden Knights can be stubborn. All that skill can at times lure them into forcing offense. Spilling the puck in the neutral zone is a surefire way to fuel the opposition’s top players.
Cassidy, no doubt, has been preaching puck security all season. But it’s tempting to try and be creative when a simple dump in is what is really required. Players aren’t robots.
This time of year, however, requires a team to be predictable. Take what the opposition gives you and play with patience.
Vegas also finds itself completely healthy at this juncture. Cassidy will have to make decisions in the next few days regarding who will be in his starting lineup. There’s depth at every position.
It’s time for the Golden Knights to feel good about themselves. They quietly earned more points than every team in the NHL but two. They have home ice advantage for at least the first two rounds.
The mindset is what matters most now. The Golden Knights know exactly how they must play. It comes down to execution. If they play the VGK Way, they’ll be playing for a long time yet.
