LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights have shown two sides to an identity a little less than two weeks into the season.
Asked how he hoped to identify his team during training camp, coach Bruce Cassidy said he wanted the Golden Knights to be the best defensive team in the Pacific Division.
Then his team scored 15 goals in its first three games to open the season 3-0-0, looking more like an offensive juggernaut. Since then, during the first two games of a three-game road trip, the Golden Knights have lost both and been outscored 8-5 after a 4-2 loss in D.C. and a 4-3 loss in Tampa.
Headed into the final game of their road trip, against Florida in a meeting of the last two Stanley Cup champions, the Golden Knights rank 7th in the NHL with 4.00 goals per game, but sit 15th in the league in allowing 3.2 gpg.
“I think we want to be better defensively a little bit, but we’ve been pretty good,” Stone said. “We’ve just given up a few self-enforced errors, where we’re kind of turning pucks over and giving them their offense. But I think actually our D zone coverage itself has been really good. We haven’t given up a ton there. Just been giving up stuff off the rush, which is just self-inflicted.”
Linemates Jack Eichel and Stone have thrived offensively to date, both ranking in the top 10 in points.
Eichel is tied with Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen for third with 10 points, while Stone is tied with three others with nine points. Eichel’s eight assists rank second in the league.
Through Friday’s games, Vegas was tied for sixth in the league with seven other teams that had 16 skaters with at least one point. The Knights were also one of four teams that had 11 skaters with at least one goal, behind four teams that have 12.
“Yeah, offense has been good,” Stone said. “I think finding ways to score goals in different ways, skating well. But yeah, we want to be good on both sides of the puck for sure.”
Puck drop in Sunrise, Fla. today is scheduled for 6:05 eastern.
