Bruce Cassidy doesn’t normally talk to his players after games.
But fresh off a 4-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, the Golden Knights coach thought something needed to be said.
Cassidy thought an honest assessment was needed in how the Knights have fared against the Western Conference lately.
The Knights (45-22-8) were coming off a 10-2-2 run in March, capped by a six-game winning streak. Back-to-back losses later, a seven-point lead in the Pacific Division that was as recent as Monday is down to three points.
“We’ve got to get that part of our game in order, the style of play we need to play to excel if we want to get to where we want to go,” Cassidy said. “It’s that simple.”
The Knights will look to get back on track Saturday against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome in the first leg of a back-to-back. The second stop is Sunday at Rogers Arena against the Vancouver Canucks.
‘I’m concerned’
That’s not a lot of off time to try to figure out the rut the Knights are experiencing.
Two goals in two games in losses to the Edmonton Oilers and Jets — teams the Knights could see in the playoffs — is not a confidence builder. Cassidy went as far back as the March 9 loss to the Los Angeles Kings to further highlight the problems.
Penalties and a bad second period cost the Knights on Tuesday. A slow start doomed them Thursday, capping a 26-save shutout from Jets goaltender Eric Comrie.
“I’m concerned,” Cassidy said. “This isn’t a one-off. We should be prepared to play. We weren’t. We should’ve responded well.”
Cassidy called himself out for the decision to make Wednesday’s practice an optional, given the nature of the schedule. Calgary is the first stop in three games in four days.
The Knights offense looked out of sorts and never got settled. The team almost had as many giveaways (18) as shots (26).
“We didn’t (practice Wednesday), and it showed,” Cassidy said. “Our pace wasn’t good, we didn’t execute enough. That’s something as a coach, I got to look in the mirror and say, ‘Was that the right call?’ It’s behind us now, so I got to make the right call the next time on that if we’re going to play that style of game where we’re trying to make plays no matter what.”
Bounce back
The Knights made a push with 14 shots in the third period. Problem was, they were trailing 3-0 by then.
Even down 2-0 in the first period, the Knights thought they were in a good spot considering they have 21 come-from-behind wins this season.
They had one shot through the first eight minutes of the second period and fell behind 3-0.
“We didn’t score any goals, so I don’t think we’re too happy about it,” center William Karlsson said about the third period. “Move forward and try to learn from it.”
Cassidy said the Knights must find a way to get the dirty-work goals: second-chance opportunities, deflections, winning puck battles near the crease.
It’s an area in which the Knights could use center Tomas Hertl (upper body), but he’s been ruled out the next two games. A return is promising with Hertl practicing in a noncontact role the past two days.
The Knights have to worry about right now. That means playing two teams in 24 hours that still have playoff hopes. The Flames are five points back of the second wild card with a game in hand on the Minnesota Wild. The Canucks are eight points back.
“We have to be at our best, and hopefully those games are the ones that can bring it out of you,” captain Mark Stone said. “We’re not going to roll over. We’re going to learn from these games. I think this team will bounce back, and we’ll get ourselves ready to go.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
Up next
Who: Golden Knights at Flames
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta
TV: KMCC-34
Radio: KKGK (1340 AM/98.9 FM)
