Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024 | 2 a.m.
Vegas Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy’s goal of being the best defensive team in the Pacific Division seemed bold at times.
Through the first month, Vegas was winning often but struggling to defend opponents on the rush and allowing a lot of shots to get through. The road struggles early on didn’t help the defensive standard the Golden Knights were trying to meet.
The Golden Knights’ 6-0 loss to Utah on Saturday looked like their worst defensive game of the year. However, following that loss, they’ve played two of their best defensive games of the season.
In a back-to-back, the Golden Knights locked down a persistent Edmonton Oilers offense for a narrow 1-0 win. Wednesday, Vegas rebooted its offense while keeping the Anaheim Ducks at bay for a 4-1 win.
“Last night, in the third period, we kind of bent but didn’t break, and I thought we had a better third period tonight,” Cassidy said after Wednesday’s victory. “We were able to extend the lead and really limit their damage…I thought we checked better, too. We did that well last night, but even better tonight.”
The Ducks had 20 shots in the game and didn’t exceed more than seven in a period. All but two of the Golden Knights defensemen were on the ice for goals, and Shea Theodore and Nicolas Hague picked up points.
Theodore, who was named to Team Canada for the 4 Nations Face-Off a few hours earlier, turned defense into offense as he scored twice.
“Defensively, I don’t really think we gave up too much,” Theodore said. “That kind of comes from last night as well. We did a great job, and we’re just trying to build on that. At the other end, it’s good to see the puck go into the net.”
Theodore’s offensively minded defense has allowed him to have one of the stronger seasons of his career. With 17 points in 26 games, he’s projected for 61 points, which would be a new career high.
“He’s been good,” Cassidy said on Theodore. “He’s had a really good stretch of games here, and I’m happy for him to get picked for Team Canada, too.”
The growing success of the Golden Knights’ defense hasn’t gone unnoticed, as two other defensemen were selected for the 4 Nations Face-Off: Alex Pietrangelo (Canada) and Noah Hanifin (United States).
Vegas is still a ways away from where Cassidy wants them to be, but the Golden Knights have found their footing defensively. Friday’s matchup with the Dallas Stars, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last season, will be another major test for Vegas’ defense.
“We’re just looking for a good effort from our group and continue this,” Theodore said. “We have a couple of days after to kind of rest and regroup. It’s gonna be an important game.”