Sundаy tһougһtѕ аbout... relаxаtіon

The Vegas Golden Knights are in first place in the Pacific Division again. But they can't rest just yet.

I work a part-time job at a veterinary clinic. It's rewarding because I get to see the endless parade of dogs and cats that enter the building. It makes me want to pick a bunch up in my arms and give them an endless amount of kisses. Yet, I will get my face eaten off if I squeeze too hard or grab hold of an aggressive dog.

Still, the job's relaxing for that same reason. Who doesn't love making new furry friends every day? That's the best part of working with animals. They greet you with their smiling faces with the dogs hanging their tongues out. It's enough to make your heart melt.

Of course, there are some complications. Sometimes, you get the 30-something who comes in cussing like Alex Jones yelling at gay frogs. They're over-projecting their androgen (or what they believe is such) and are acting like the biggest Karen in the world. Someone needs to tell them to relax before their blood pressure explodes. After that confrontation, there are two hours left. Then one. Then your boss tells you to do one more task.

Geez, man. I just wanted to get home to watch the Vegas Golden Knights game. Oh well. Speaking of which, the Golden Knights can't rest easy after coming back from the 4 Nations Face-Off. Sure, it was a fun tournament featuring Bruce Cassidy leading his home country to victory. However, it was a tense event that featured hard hits (and some fights). Now that the boys are back at T-Mobile Arena, there's no time to waste regarding winning hockey games.

What the Vegas Golden Knights can do regarding relaxing during big games

This is an easy one to spell out. First, just play your game. The Golden Knights are excellent at going into transition and catching their opponents on the defensive. That's what having an endless array of 200-ft. players does for a team. They can forecheck at will and punish their opponents on the rush, creating offensive momentum.

However, it also involves locking in against tougher opponents. For example, the team was 3-8-3 in their previous 14 games prior to facing off against the New Jersey Devils on February 6. How was the gang going to beat a Stanley Cup contender in New Jersey, of all places? That was as likely as Mike Babcock becoming a warm, likable guy.

Well, the Golden Knights peppered the Devils with shots. A lot of them. Sure, going 0-for-4 on the power play didn't inspire confidence that night. However, they won in even strength, which was a struggling unit for a couple of weeks. In turn, it got a weakened team back to winning hockey games, taking a 3-1 victory from New Jersey of all places.

All it took was Bruce Cassidy getting his boys to loosen up and stop forcing shots. Sure, it was a brief reminder of the Pete DeBoer days and the shoot-and-pray style. But it seems to be working in Las Vegas. Ivan Barbashev scored his first goal on Saturday since returning from an upper-body injury on January 11. If that doesn't scream "relaxing," I don't know what does.