Golden Knights Playing To Their Strengths
With key players missing, Vegas Golden Knights are expecting players to be the best versions of themselves.
Stephen R. Sylvanie - USA TODAY Sports - Golden Knights Playing To Their StrengthsBrendan Brisson understands that he's not going to be a line driver in just his third NHL career game.
He's also aware that the team needs him to perform at his highest level while players like Jack Eichel, William Karlsson and Shea Theodore are out.
"We're not trying to come in and fill Jack Eichel shoes, you know, it's impossible. So just trying to play you know, the best versions of our game," Brisson said. "At the end of the day, that's gonna be the best for the team and easier for us to just come in and play our games and be reliable in all three zones."
It's the situation for the Vegas Golden Knights, who picked up a 3-2 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena, find themselves in.
They've played 32 players this season with some coming from the American Hockey League, including Byron Froese, Sheldon Rempal, and Jonas Rondbjerg.
The expectation isn't for those players to all of a sudden become players like Eichel and others.
The same can be said for the middle of the lineup, such as Nicolas Roy, Pavel Dorofeyev, Ivan Barbashev and Brett Howden.
Nobody is expecting them to step in and replace those who are out of the lineup in identical ways.
"You can't just go to another player and say 'Be this driver now for us,' Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said.
That's what makes this Golden Knights team interesting to watch. They've found some rhythm and stability in the face of the adversity, winning three in a row and four of their last five.
The key has been nobody is trying to elevate their game beyond their reasonable means.
Take Brisson for example.
He's still developing in the physicality department, but everyone knows he has an excellent NHL-caliber shot. He's doing the best he can in other aspects of the game, but when the time came for him for use his shot, it came and paid off for the Golden Knights.
The same can be said for Roy, who isn't expected to be the coast-to-coast speed driver that Eichel is. He's a steady, physical player who works best below the dots.
All of these players are expected to share the load while line drivers such as Mark Stone, Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson (the leading scorers without Eichel and Karlsson) do their share.
It's a simple message from Cassidy: play your best game and the results will come.
"Play your game. You're gonna get more minutes because guys are missing but stick to your game. Just play it really well," Cassidy said.
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