Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024 | 2 a.m.
For the past three games, the Vegas Golden Knights’ second through fourth line combinations have been spinning like a slot machine.
After starting the season 3-0, three straight losses have sent Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy back to the drawing board to figure out which combinations will get the team back on track.
Despite the losses and various line changes, Cassidy said this is routine.
“There’s really no newness to what we’re doing,” Cassidy said. “There’s no need to panic or throw everything against the wall.”
New second and fourth line combinations were abundant on the ice at Monday’s practice. Brett Howden is now being tried on the second line with Tomáš Hertl and Pavel Dorofeyev. Tanner Pearson is back on the fourth line with Nicolas Roy and Keegan Kolesar.
The only lines that stayed the same were the first and third lines. The first-line combination of Mark Stone, Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev has remained untouched all season, as the trio has combined for 27 points. Saturday’s game against the Florida Panthers was the first game this season the line did not record a point.
The Golden Knights also changed their defensive pairings for the first time this season. Alex Pietrangelo, who’s been playing with Shea Theodore all year, is now paired with Noah Hanifin and Theodore is with Brayden McNabb. Nicolas Hague and Zach Whitecloud make up the third pairing.
Cassidy said that the defense has not played “good enough” and that the new pairings will get a few players going.
“Hague and Whitecloud have played together forever and so have Nabber (McNabb) and Theo(dore). We saw a bit of Petro (Pietrangelo) and Hanifin last year,” Cassidy said. “Hanny is new to the equation, so let’s find the best spot for him and the three pairs.”
Hanifin is the player the Golden Knights are looking to get the most out of in these new pairings. In six games, he has just one point and is a minus-three.
“We were losing some habits, and sometimes, it’s good to play with somebody new,” Hanifin said. “It’s up to us individually, and I think we all have to play better.”
For the forwards, Cassidy has mentioned multiple times that they want to get Hertl going. Since arriving in Vegas in March, the center has struggled to find chemistry on his line. Holtz and Pearson have been tried on the second line but have not clicked with Hertl.
Howden will take his swing at the second line on Tuesday against the Kings. He’s had much success on the Golden Knights’ bottom two lines, netting three goals. Hertl also has three points on the season, but all have come on the power play.
More lineup changes are expected in the coming games, as center William Karlsson was back on the ice in a no-contact jersey during Monday’s practice. It’s the first time he’s skated since preseason camp.
Cassidy said Karlsson won’t play Tuesday against the Kings but isn’t ruling him out for Friday’s game against the Ottawa Senators.
“Step one was getting him (Karlsson) out on his own. Step two is the red jersey, and then step three is integrating and then playing,” Cassidy said. “He’s not ready yet, but he looks good.”
While Karlsson could be returning soon, the Golden Knights will be without Victor Olofsson for an extended period of time. After suffering an injury against the Washington Capitals on Oct. 15, Olofsson’s status has been updated to week-to-week.
Much of the Golden Knights’ focus has been on the interior and what’s going wrong. Cassidy said he won’t have a game plan for Los Angeles until Monday night because he needs to clean up his team’s own game before even thinking about their opponent.
“Not gonna lie, I’ve been focused on our team,” Cassidy said. “Yesterday (Sunday), there was a lot of looking at what went wrong on this trip and why we couldn’t finish. We did a lot of stuff this morning (Monday) in separate groups on the areas.”
Puck drop for Tuesday’s game against the Kings is at 8 p.m. PST at T-Mobile Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and is a part of “Frozen Frenzy,” where all 32 NHL teams play on the same day.