LAS VEGAS — Early in the second period on Sunday night against the Ottawa Senators, it looked like special teams could be the difference in the game. The Senators had converted on both of their power plays to that point, while the Golden Knights struggled to generate looks of any kind on their two attempts.
Advertisement
It turned out they were the difference, but in Vegas’ favor. The Golden Knights took the lead with a power-play goal from Ben Hutton midway through the frame, extended it with a short-handed goal by Chandler Stephenson, and finished Ottawa off with another power-play tally by William Karlsson in the third.
Vegas ran away with a 6-3 victory to improve to 21-6-5 on the season, the best record in the Western Conference. The power play has been a sore spot for the club for years now, and was one of coach Bruce Cassidy’s biggest emphases entering the season.
The Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup with elite play at even strength, and managed to score enough power-play goals not to cost themselves in the playoffs. The power play has never been a strength, even going back to previous coaching staffs. However, through the first third of the season, Vegas’ power play ranks 10th in the NHL at 23.5 percent.
That’s the highest it’s been ranked in a long time, so what has turned around the long-suffering power play?
The biggest improvement could be to the team’s mindset when it comes to the man advantage. After years of searching for answers, it’s easy to become discouraged by a poor power-play effort. Cassidy believes his players have done a much better job shaking that off this year.
“One of the things we’ve done better is park some of these in-game poor power plays, and not let them affect us all night and into the next day,” Cassidy said. “Let’s move on and let’s be a little more diligent in whatever area it is, whether it’s supporting the puck on an entry, or helping on a faceoff on a 50-50 puck.”
Sunday’s game against the Senators was a perfect example of this shift in mindset. The first two power-play attempts generated next to nothing for Vegas. Zone entries were a struggle, and they were out of synch in the zone time they did have. They regrouped, made adjustments and executed.
Advertisement
“(Cassidy) has been stressing it to us most of the year that you’re going to have bad power plays,” said captain Mark Stone, who leads the team with 12 points on the power play. “Edmonton has bad power plays. They were the best power play, statistically, last year ever, but they do have bad power plays. You can’t let it get to you. You have to be ready for the next one, and I think we’ve done a better job at that this year.”
That mentality requires confidence, which is something the Golden Knights’ power play had lacked for several years. They’ve grown recently, both in terms of chemistry and maturity. When Cassidy came in, he introduced new power-play units and concepts. Beyond the obvious learning curve that comes with that, Vegas also needed to get over the mental hurdle.
When the power play is a weakness for as long as it was, even costing the team a playoff series against Montreal in 2021, doubt can creep into the players’ minds quickly. As the players have grown more comfortable in Cassidy’s system, and with each other, they’re better equipped to fight against that.
“We have been more successful this year so I think there’s confidence that’s inherent in the group now,” Cassidy said. “If we don’t get one on the first (power play), or maybe the second, we do have the ability to turn it around much quicker. Last year, I still think there was some doubt in that.”
Confidence can’t be manufactured, though. It’s the result of scoring goals, and the Golden Knights have done that at a higher rate than at any point in franchise history.
| Season | PP Goals/60 min | NHL Rank |
|---|---|---|
2023-24 | 8.86 | 10th |
2022-23 | 7.29 | 18th |
2021-22 | 6.59 | 24th |
2020-21 | 6.32 | 21st |
2019-20 | 7.98 | 9th |
2018-19 | 5.95 | 24th |
2017-18 | 7.60 | 16th |
There are multiple factors resulting in these improvements, starting with excellent coaching and game-planning. Cassidy puts a lot of time and effort into the power play, and has put the players in good positions to succeed. The first power-play goal on Sunday was a perfect example.
Advertisement
“The first one was just something we saw on video,” he said. “Carolina got behind them and St. Louis got behind them on breakaways on an entry. We thought, ‘Let’s take a shot at it.’ It happened to work out, and we finished on a good play by Nic Roy.”
Cassidy spotted a weakness in the Senators’ penalty-kill film, instructed Roy to sneak behind the defenders, and Hutton hit him with a perfectly-timed pass to put him in all alone.
ROY ON THE POWER PLAY 👑
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) December 18, 2023
Cassidy has also moved the players around into different positions on the man advantage, and the results have been strong. He moved Jack Eichel over to the right side, where he has a tendency to hang onto the puck less and shoot going downhill more. That, along with Jonathan Marchessault now playing on his off-wing, opens the power play up for more puck movement and quicker shots.
“When we get moving the puck quickly and not worry about getting to a spot all the time, and (have) movement (we have success),” Stone said. “When Jack is coming down, I pop out and Marchy is backdoor, it’s tough (to kill). I kill penalties. It’s not the easiest thing in the world when teams are moving the puck around and bodies are moving.”
Movement makes the attack more unpredictable, as does changing strategy on the fly. Cassidy has commended his players multiple times this season for their ability to adapt to what the opposing penalty kill is doing. Take what they’re giving rather than trying to force a cross-seam pass every time.
On the final power-play goal on Sunday, Stone did an excellent job of finding a soft spot in the middle of Ottawa’s shell, and Eichel waited for the perfect moment to get the puck to him. Initially, Senators forward Josh Norris had his stick laid on the ice, taking the passing lane away, but Eichel calmly delayed until he had room to make the pass.
Stone ripped a shot quickly on net, and Karlsson was there to pounce on the rebound.
Advertisement
“To me, the last goal was dynamite for us,” Cassidy said. “Into the bumper, get a rebound at the net. Those are really tough to defend. Jack finds the right guy.”
six VGK goals are way better than six geese a-laying 😜
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) December 18, 2023
One of the biggest factors in Cassidy’s mind is the sheer amount of time the Golden Knights are spending attacking in the offensive zone.
“There are a lot of different things you can do just to have the puck in their end more,” Cassidy said. “I’ve said this a lot in this league. I think if you’re in their end, you can take any team in the league’s power play and they’re going to function well if they get enough zone time, because there are so many good players in this league. But you need the zone time. We’ve done a better job of that, making sure we get our zone time squared away.”
The NHL has only tracked zone time for the last three seasons, but even in that short span, Vegas’ improvement is noticeable. In 2021-22, the Golden Knights spent only 55.6 percent of their power-play time in the offensive zone – below the league average of 57.8 percent that year. This season, Vegas has spent 60.2 percent of the time in the attacking zone, better than 65 percent of teams.
That’s partially due to Eichel and Karlsson’s abilities to gain the zone with possession. Both skate and puck-handle exceptionally well, allowing them to dance through defenders at the blue line to establish the attack. It’s also due to better puck support once the puck is in the zone. The Golden Knights are winning races to rebounds and loose pucks more often, leading to more time spent attacking.
It wasn’t just the power play that turned the special-teams tide in Vegas’ favor on Sunday. Chandler Stephenson scored the Golden Knights’ fifth short-handed goal of the season midway through the second period to extend Vegas’ lead.
The penalty kill hasn’t been nearly the issue the power play has over the years, but it’s also been very strong this season. Vegas ranks fifth in the NHL with an 85.9 percent kill rate, and is also one of the most dangerous teams when short-handed.
Advertisement
Stone has already scored twice short-handed this season, and assisted on Stephenson’s goal on Sunday. Eichel and Karlsson have been excellent together on the kill, generating a chance nearly once a game.
“He’s one of our best penalty-killers now,” Stone said of Eichel. “It puts the other team on their heels when they’re on the power play. I think it’s added an element.”
If special teams continue to be a strength for the Golden Knights, they’ll be tough to beat. They’ve long been one of the strongest teams in the league at even strength, overcoming their special teams in most instances. If that weakness suddenly becomes a strength, the ways to beat Vegas are dwindling.
(Photo of Nic Roy and Joonas Korpisalo: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
