LAS VEGAS — As the second-seeded Golden Knights saw their opening round series with the Minnesota Wild slipping away, and on the brink of becoming out of hand, coach Bruce Cassidy did what he has done countless times: put his forward lines in a blender.
With his team trailing in the series 2-1, and home ice now in Minnesota’s hands, the Golden Knights made one lineup change, swapping Victor Olofsson out for Tanner Pearson. But when the Golden Knights trailed heading into the third period, Cassidy pulled out his biggest change yet, and the blending paid off.
Cassidy got the goals he was searching for, with Nic Roy scoring an equalizer on the power play, and even-strength goal from Tomas Hertl to put the Golden Knights ahead momentarily. The Wild quickly tied the game, but Ivan Barbashev scored the overtime winner, playing alongside Roy and Reilly Smith.
“Well, the overtime goal is a big goal for Nic Roy’s line. I thought he was really had good jump. He played with Smitty when we first reacquired him. I liked what they brought. Barby’s played with Nic and probably Kolesar more than Smith, so he’s been there.”
And while one of Cassidy’s most significant changes didn’t score, and came away with a -1, the most dangerous Golden Knights line returning home for Game 5 could arguably be William Karlsson, Jack Eichel and Pavel Dorofeyev forging together a potent trio.
“Jack and Karly, that was one that matchup dictated,” Cassidy said. “Two of our best centers against their top line, and they were okay with it. So we just made a move, shuffled some people around.”
The line didn’t play together during the regular season, but Dorofeyev has spent time with both Eichel and Karlsson separately, showing chemistry with each by raising his caliber of play to the level of his veteran teammates. Surprisingly, Eichel and Karlsson have little to no experience together.
The three were the first line on display at Monday’s practice.
Understandably, Eichel and Karlsson haven’t seen time alongside one another because both are exceptional centermen, but the combination could trigger their offensive games Tuesday night in Game 5, where Vegas will look to seize momentum on home ice, and take a 3-2 series lead back to St. Paul.
“Karl’s such a great player, he’s super easy to play with,” Eichel said. “And obviously we know what Pav brings and his ability to score and shoot the puck and make plays. So, yeah, I thought we did a good job of just getting some looks off the cycle and creating some offense. And, obviously, trying to keep them off the score sheet as well.”
In Game 4, the trio played 6:52 together at 5-on-5, holding the advantage in Corsi (12-3), shots on goal (4-2) and Fenwick (8-2). Although they allowed a goal and gave up a high-danger chance, the process was visible and obviously to everyone’s liking.
“I think it’s important,” Eichel said of the line changes. “I think we have all smart players on this team, and guys are easy to play with. I think you can shuffle lines up when need be, and you get a good result.
“Sometimes that’s what happens, you need to shuffle things up, and all of a sudden you catch a spark. … We rely on all of our forwards and all our defensemen to contribute. And I don’t think it really matters who you’re playing with. I think it’s just trying to bring whatever you have to the team and help the team win.”
Each player in the trio certainly has the skill set to complement one another.
Dorofeyev doesn’t need the puck to be dangerous, always lurking in high-danger areas to showcase his quick release. Eichel, the team’s point leader in the regular season, naturally loves the puck and always looks for it in transition or during the cycle. With the puck, he can be a facilitator or use his deadly accurate release to beat goaltenders. Karlsson, meanwhile, is the perfect balance at both ends, as he can make plays with the puck but sees the ice well enough to get himself open without it.
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