Bruce Cassidy’s Disheartening Remark Revealed as Golden Knights Admit to Losing Advantage Against Stars!
In the initial matchups of this series, the Vegas Golden Knights appeared poised to defend their Stanley Cup title. However, the recent games have showcased the dominance of the Dallas Stars, the NHL’s Western Conference top seed.
Four games played, and all four won on the road. It’s an unexpected turn of events, overturning the concept of home-ice advantage.
Following the Stars’ 4-2 victory on Monday, the series is now tied, setting the stage for a best-of-three showdown. Despite two upcoming games in Dallas, the Golden Knights have failed to capitalize on their home turf advantage thus far.
best-of-three#VegasBorn | @pizzahut https://t.co/MDbomJh3cm
— x-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 30, 2024
One might have thought T-Mobile Arena would be impenetrable. However, recent events beg to differ.
Golden Knights Falter on Home Ice After securing two wins in Dallas, the Golden Knights stumbled on their home ice, losing two consecutive games. Notably, it was the first time they’ve ever lost a Game 4 of a playoff series at home.
During the regular season, Vegas boasted an impressive home record of 27 wins, 12 losses, and 2 overtime losses. Last season, during their Cup-winning campaign, they were even more dominant with a 9-3 record at home. Additionally, goalie Logan Thompson boasted a stellar 16-5-1 record at home this season, with the best goals-against average (GAA) in the NHL at 2.15.
Scoring goals at an average rate of 4.25 per game at home during the regular season, the Golden Knights have seen a significant drop in their offensive output during the playoffs, averaging just 2.0 goals per game in two home matchups.
Bruce Cassidy, Golden Knights head coach, expressed his disappointment, stating, “In the past three games, I think our offense has been lacking in being productive and opportunistic.”
Eichel Shines Again The early stages of the game looked promising for the Golden Knights as Michael Amadio, making his series debut, opened the scoring in the first period. Jack Eichel extended their lead with his third consecutive game with a goal after Evgenii Dadonov had tied the game for the Stars.
"To Marchessault, hit the post, rebound — score!"
"Jack Eichel! Vegas takes a 2-1 lead!"
Eichel pots a second-chance goal to restore the @GoldenKnights' lead in Game 4. pic.twitter.com/zfakRT0IEx
— Golden Knights Radio (@VGKRadioNetwork) April 30, 2024
However, the momentum shifted in favor of Dallas due to a couple of ill-timed penalties by experienced players in the Golden Knights lineup. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was penalized for roughing Roope Hintz, and Wyatt Johnston capitalized on the ensuing power play.
Shortly after, Chandler Stephenson’s cross-checking penalty on Matt Duchene allowed Dallas to further assert control. Ty Dellandrea’s goal gave the Stars their first lead of the game with just 1:26 remaining in the second period.
Marchessault acknowledged the momentum swing, saying, “I think we lost the momentum a little bit in the second period. It’s about momentum swings in the playoffs, and I don’t think we managed that well.”
Roope Hintz sealed the victory for the Stars with an empty-net goal. Jake Oettinger, who struggled in the two losses in Dallas, redeemed himself with 33 saves for his second consecutive win.
Leave a Reply