Vegas Golden Knights take pride in being able to withstand pain.
It hurts to win.
You’ll hear Vegas players say it frequently. The Golden Knights marketing department even has made shirts with the phrase.
“There's our cliche, right?” said Vegas forward Jack Eichel. “Feels like everyone was saying that after the hit."
Eichel knows about the feeling. He was took a massive hit from Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk in the second period of the Golden Knights’ 7-2 victory on Monday. Eichel returned in the third period and on his first shift back delivered an assist on a Jonathan Marchessault’s second goal of the night.
“It’s a physical game. You’re going to get hit sometimes,” Eichel said. “You just kind of move on.”
But the mantra goes beyond taking hits. The Golden Knights do it in a variety of ways. They also block shots, leading the NHL in blocked shots during the regular season.
“Toughness, there’s probably a lot of things go in that,” Cassidy said. “Taking a hit to make a play. Blocking shots. It’s not about fighting it.”
Deep Waters
The Golden Knights have gotten nine goal scorers in this Stanley Cup Final – the most ever by a team, and 12 skaters found their way on the scoresheet during Monday’s victory.
When asked about whether or not this depth is overwhelming Florida, Cassidy was unsure if his team was overwhelming, but rather credit the team’s depth as to why they’re still playing in June.
“Our depth has been a strength all year. It’s the biggest reason why we’re still here why we beat Winnipeg, Edmonton, Dallas and why we’re ahead against Florida,” he said. “I just feel that we have the best team from player one to 20. They might have some better players, or a better penalty kill, power play or goaltender. I do believe that’s a big strength of our team.”
Special Teams Surge
The Golden Knights special teams have left much to be desired this postseason, but is finding its footing in the Stanley Cup Final.
The penalty kill is a perfect 7-for-7 in the Finals.
When the Golden Knights are on the man-advantage, they are 4-of-11 with goals coming at critical times.
“It’s important that it’s working. If it’s not you can really lose momentum, and they can gain momentum from kills,” Cassidy said. “So that’s the importance of it right. We score five-on-five. We’ve won a lot of games without having it having to perform at ahigh level. It’s certainly another weapon and another way to create offense that’s going to help. It’s picking a good time to get going.”