LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Winter Olympics break could be a great reset for the Golden Knights, who until Wednesday had lost seven of eight games.
Or the Games could be arriving at just the wrong time because Vegas had convincing victories this week over Vancouver and Los Angeles, and now any momentum likely will be gone.
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Or, and most likely, the break could be a mixed bag.
That’s the view of Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy, also an assistant under Team Canada coach Jon Cooper.
As Cassidy pointed out, the break isn’t really one for many of his players. Nine Golden Knights are on Olympics rosters, including five for gold medal favorites the United States and Canada.
“The top guys are playing the most minutes, and they’re the ones to go over there and represent their country,” Cassidy said. “I think it’s a better answer on the flip side when we see when the last game is played for Canada. Well, all our guys, right?”
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This roughly three-week stoppage does have the clear advantage of helping what has been a banged-up Golden Knights team get healthy.
Cassidy said he expected defenseman Brayden McNabb (upper body) back in the lineup when the team resumes play. Forwards Brandon Saad (undisclosed) and Colton Sissons (upper body) shouldn’t be far behind McNabb.
Centers William Karlsson (lower body) and Brett Howden (lower body) and forward Jonas Rondbjerg (undisclosed) are week-to-week. Cassidy said he needs to see goalie Carter Hart (lower body) on the ice before knowing more about his status.
Defenseman Noah Hanifin, who also plays for the U.S., said it would be “huge” to start getting players back.
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“It’s obviously been a challenge for everyone this year dealing with that a little bit,” Hanifin said. “We’re all hoping the guys get the recovery and the stuff they need over this break and come back.”
Cassidy has been forced to juggle his lineup all season, and it hasn’t always been pretty. Vegas lost seven of eight games in late December/early January and then experienced this most recent matching skid.
The Golden Knights also have left a lot of points on the table, losing 14 games in overtime or shootouts, tied with the Kings for highest in the NHL.
Even with all that, they are four points ahead of two-time defending Western Conference champion Edmonton in the Pacific Division with a game in hand. The Golden Knights have the fourth-best odds (9-1) to win the Stanley Cup, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
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“I think, all things considered, the stretches that we haven’t played well, we’ve been able to sneak points out of games,” said defenseman Shea Theodore, who also plays for Canada. “With the lineups that we’ve had, we haven’t had a lot of our regulars in. So that’s definitely promising on the way we’ve been able to play over the last little bit.”
Especially the two most recent games.
The Golden Knights beat the Canucks 5-2 on Wednesday and the Kings 4-1 on Thursday.
“I know our division isn’t as strong as some of the others when you look at the records, but there are still good teams in there,” Cassidy said. “For whatever reason, each of us has had our ups and downs. But I can only control what we do. We’ve been grinding the last 10 days.
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“I didn’t think we were as far away as maybe it looked, so that’s the good news.”
Vegas, like the rest of the league, will be tested once the Olympic torch or extinguished, setting up what could be a war of attrition to the regular-season finish line.
The Golden Knights play 18 games in 35 days when they return to action. Cassidy said the grind will especially be tough on players who advance to the gold medal game, and a potential U.S.-Canada final also would carry all the emotions associated with a tense rivalry.
But even if those players don’t get a true break, Cassidy said many not in Italy will benefit from getting some time off.
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“It’s different for everybody,” Cassidy said. “But is it too much for the guys not going over there, 17 days, and pick it up again? Every guy’s in a different spot.”
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
