It was a good time for what Bruce Cassidy called the Golden Knights’ most complete 60-minute effort of the season.
There have been pockets of good hockey from the Knights despite losing 11 of their past 15 games, but there hasn’t been enough consistent play through three periods to warrant more victories.
Thursday’s 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils was the kind of game the coach had been looking for. The Knights shut down a high-octane offense by forcing their top-end players to play at both ends of the ice.
The three goals weren’t the prettiest, but the Knights were rewarded for their play at both ends — something that hasn’t come often over this 4-8-3 run.
“I thought we were trending well, and it came together yesterday,” Cassidy said.
The Knights (32-17-6) end a four-game road trip Saturday against the Boston Bruins (27-23-6) in what’s also their final game before the 4 Nations Face-Off gets underway Wednesday. The Knights are sending five players, along with Cassidy, to the four-team tournament, which runs from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston.
If there was a time for the Knights to empty the tank before those five players represent their countries, while the others prepare for a two-week vacation to recharge for the second half of this condensed season, now would be the time.
The Knights have been at their best defensively the past two games, allowing a combined 29 shots on goal — 14 against the New York Islanders on Tuesday, 15 against the Devils on Thursday — which is the lowest amount in consecutive games in team history.
Tuesday wound up being a 2-1 loss that might have been the tipping point of this slide the Knights have been on. They responded by outshooting the Devils 40-15 and controlling play at five-on-five.
New Jersey’s lone goal was a power-play goal with 4:17 remaining that ended goaltender Adin Hill’s shutout bid.
“We know what we have to do to play like that,” defenseman Nic Hague said. “It’s not always going to go our way, but we know that’s the level we can be at.”
Focus on finishing
The Knights were atop the NHL standings on Jan. 9, then a 4-0 loss to the Islanders at home started this tailspin that has included two four-game losing streaks and multiple missed opportunities at points.
There has also been the frustrating aspect for the Knights that they have been in so many close games throughout this stretch without finishing.
“For us, we stuck to our game for a full 60 minutes. We were a committed group. I feel like we didn’t give them any room out there. We were on top of them all night,” center Brett Howden said. “There’s a lot of talk we’ve been playing some good hockey, but haven’t gotten it done. Last night, we did a good job finishing it and getting it to the finish line.”
The Knights are in position to finish this trip strong. They’re facing a Boston team that’s allowed 19 goals in its past five games, with the latest being a 3-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Wednesday.
Boston has been nowhere near the regular-season juggernaut it’s been with six 100-point seasons in the past seven years. It might be the time for the Knights to take advantage of an up-and-down Bruins team to head into this break on a high note.
“Our expectations are so high for ourselves, and we expect more than what was happening there for a little bit,” Hague said. “The key with us, we know. We’re a pretty veteran group. We know when we make mistakes, and we know when to be better.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
Up next
Who: Golden Knights at Bruins
When: 12:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: TD Garden, Boston
TV/radio: ABC, KKGK (1340 AM, 98.9 FM)