Cassidy Went Off-Script With Line Change That Proved Crucial In Helping VGK Defeat The Defending Cup Champs

One shift into last night’s game, Bruce Cassidy knew something was off. The second the puck was dropped, the Panthers were all over the Golden Knights, generating scoring looks from incredibly dangerous areas on the ice. Less than three minutes into the game, Adin Hill had already had to make several tricky saves, the Panthers had already amassed 10 shot attempts, and the ice was tilted.

Brayden McNabb ultimately netted the first goal of the game giving the Golden Knights the lead, but the head coach knew he needed to make a change if his team was going to be able to hold up against the defending Stanley Cup champions.

I didn’t think Jack’s line had it tonight. I thought they struggled in the 1st period. I had them against Barkov’s line which is an elite line. -Cassidy

So, he dug deep into the bag of tricks to make a line change that is as unorthodox as we’ve seen in Cassidy’s three-year tenure in Vegas. It was a single-player swap, Mark Stone for Alex Holtz, but where it left each line was markedly different from where they started.

As opposed to a dominant top line of Stone, Eichel, and Barbashev and a bottom-six checking line of Howden, Rondbjerg, and Holtz, the Golden Knights flashed a new look giving Eichel a much more offensive role and trusting the defensive responsibilities of defending one of the NHL’s best lines to the captain, a center recovering from an illness, and an AHL call-up playing just his 8th game of the season.

Howden has been sick, but he’s a good checking centerman, so because he hasn’t played much this week he probably had more energy than anybody in our lineup. And then Rondbjerg as a call-up he hasn’t played much this week so he had lots of energy. So I wanted to use them against Barkov. Reload against that group especially with their D joining. Stone has played a lot with Howden. So instead of mixing everything up, just switch the wingers. -Cassidy

It was a stroke of genius. The previous lines combined for just three shots on goal in eight minutes of action while the new ones scored a goal (Eichel’s late breakaway), generated nine scoring chances, and most importantly, limited Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart.

In 4:15 of ice time together, Stone, Howden, and Rondbjerg allowed just two shots on goal while amassing four at the other end. Most of this time was spent playing against a line that ranks in the top 20 in expected goal share this season.

Plus, Cassidy believes it might have a knock-on effect for one of VGK’s much-maligned players moving forward.

I thought that (Eichel’s new line) did a good job and it gave Holtz a little life, he had a couple of looks, and it might be good for his confidence to play with players like that and see the puck a little bit more. -Cassidy

These types of decisions by Bruce Cassidy are one of the big reasons why the Golden Knights have been so successful not only this season but in the previous three. He’s not afraid to get creative and look well beyond the box score to solve a solution that’s presented by any individual opponent.

For one night in the middle of January, it may have been the catalyst for a pair of much-needed points during a troublesome run. But, the impact could go much further if Cassidy turns back to this newfound solution sometime in April, May, or even June.