It’s a different vibe for the Vegas Golden Knights facing the Buffalo Sabres this time around.
The Knights rolled into Buffalo, New York, on March 3 coming off a 5-0 loss in Pittsburgh two days earlier.
“No one was feeling great about our game,” coach Bruce Cassidy said.
Back-to-back wins make Tuesday’s showdown against one of the league’s hottest teams a little more bearable.
The Knights will try to win a third straight game against the leaders of the Atlantic Division. The Sabres (41-20-6) begin a four-game Western road trip at T-Mobile Arena.
“I think when you win a couple, and it had been a long time,” Cassidy said, “you always feel good about your game. It’s just natural.”
Tight race in the Pacific
The Knights (31-22-14) felt their game was turning a corner despite losing six of their previous seven games — a slide that dropped them to third place in the Pacific Division.
Two wins later by a combined 10-2 against Pittsburgh on Thursday and Chicago on Saturday, the Knights enter Tuesday trailing the Anaheim Ducks by one point for first place in the lackluster division.
The Edmonton Oilers are one point behind the Knights for second place, setting the rivals on a collision course to meet in the playoffs for the third time in four years.
“It wasn’t an easy stretch for us,” center Tomas Hertl said. “Even like before in Dallas (on Tuesday, a 2-1 loss to the Stars), I think we played really good hockey. We’ve won two games, and we definitely have (a) better feeling, and we need to keep it up.”
The Knights have created slight separation from those still fighting for their playoff lives. The two home wins pushed them six points clear of the postseason cutline.
As disappointing as the Pacific has been, the top three is far from decided. Six teams are still firmly in the playoff hunt.
The Seattle Kraken hold the second wild card at 71 points after back-to-back wins. The San Jose Sharks are one point behind Seattle and have a game in hand.
Even the Los Angeles Kings are still alive, sitting two points behind Seattle.
The Kraken and Kings have played two fewer games than Edmonton. San Jose has three in hand.
Tough road ahead
A slide, maybe something similar to what the Knights went through, could alter the playoff picture drastically in the coming weeks.
It’s not an easy stretch coming up for the Knights. After Buffalo, they host a potential first-round matchup against the Utah Mammoth on Thursday, followed by three games in four days against Central Division opponents — Nashville, Dallas and Winnipeg.
“I think we still have a little more (to give),” Hertl said. “We’d prefer more full 60-minute games. You never play 60 minutes of great hockey, but we still need to get closer.”
Cassidy has been wanting games more closer to the 40-minute variety. That’s slowly getting there.
The Knights have gotten four straight quality starts from goaltender Adin Hill, including a 21-save shutout Saturday against the Blackhawks.
They have the league’s best penalty kill (95 percent) since March 3 by killing all but one of their 20 times they’ve been shorthanded. They’ll be tested against the sixth-best power play since March 1 in Buffalo.
When asked if he’s as happy as a coach can be right now, Cassidy joked that “coaches are never happy.”
He is, maybe, slightly pleased that things are trending in the right direction.
“It’s only been a few games, but some of those losses, I felt we were taking steps,” Cassidy said. “I think everybody feels the same way. We’ve got a good group.
“They’re professionals. Last week we came to work trying to get better even if we weren’t getting wins. It’s a better frame of mind.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
Up next
Who: Sabres at Golden Knights
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: T-Mobile Arena
TV: KMCC-34
Radio: KFLG 94.7 FM/KKGK 1340 AM
Line: Knights -130; total 6 ½
