Daily Nuggets: Golden Knights Grant Cassidy Wish; Copycat Win

Bruce Cassidy had great expectations for the Vegas Golden Knights before Thursday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was an all-time quote, but he was flirting with danger; this easily could’ve headlined the ‘hockey images that precede unfortunate events’ Twitter page. The Golden Knights gained two points in the standings; unfortunately for them, so did the Los Angeles Kings, who continue to hold pace.

Elsewhere in the Daily Nuggets, Sergei Bobrovsky recorded a milestone win. The Colorado Avalanche moved out of the first wildcard spot, and the Islanders are working to extend Kyle Palmieri. 

Columbus is a very, very underrated city, and Nationwide Arena is very nice. If you looked up ‘Walkable City’ in a dictionary, you might find a picture of the Arena District. There are bridges to cross and cobblestone streets lined with hockey bars. The people are lovely and fiercely loyal to their team. My crystal ball can’t predict when the Blue Jackets will win the Stanley Cup, but I’ll be quite happy for the fanbase when they do. And while I’ll always be homesick for Krog St. Market, North Market in Columbus holds a dear place in my heart.

Golden Knights News

Before Thursday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy laid out a challenge for his team. They obliged, overcame a slow start, and silenced the cannon in a 4-0 win.

When I was in fourth grade, my teacher made us take all our graded work home to our parents to get signed. It didn’t matter if the grades were good or bad– every week, we had to take that marigold-colored folder home for a parental signature. One week, I forgot to do it; in my genius nine-year-old mind, I thought it wise to forge my mother’s signature. It was a ham-fisted, clumsy attempt; ink splotches showed how often I paused to look at the reference. My teacher never said anything– probably because I was a nerd, so the folder contained only A’s. That’s what the report card I gave the Golden Knights for their performance on Thursday looks like… with one notable exception.

Monkey see, monkey do. Adin Hill’s 27-save shutout lifted the Golden Knights to a win over the Blue Jackets; Darcy Kuemper’s 21-save shutout gave the Los Angeles Kings a win against the Washington Capitals. The Golden Knights gained no ground on Thursday in the standings. The Kings, on the other hand, leapfrogged the Edmonton Oilers for second in the Pacific Division and now sit six points behind the Golden Knights with a game in hand.

The Athletic ($): Jesse Granger ranked the goaltending tandems of all 32 teams, and the Golden Knights are perfectly middle-of-the-pack.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

New Jersey Hockey Now: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before– Leon Draisaitl scored, and Connor McDavid recorded two assists, but it wasn’t enough to lift the Edmonton Oilers to a win. The Devils downed the Oilers in regulation, giving the Golden Knights more breathing room in the standings.

Colorado Hockey Now: Here’s some good news for the Golden Knights—the Avalanche have won six of their last seven games. The Avs moved into third place in the Central Division, which means the winner of the Pacific Division probably won’t have to face them in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Florida Hockey Now: With his 23-save performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky recorded the 424th win of his career. He overtook Tony Esposito and moved into sole possession of 10th placefor all-time wins.

Philly Hockey Now: The Flyers have struggled offensively recently; on Thursday, they had no such problem when they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 in a shootout.

New York Islanders Hockey Now: It hasn’t been finalized yet, but the Islanders are working to extend forward Kyle Palmieri. 

NHL History: On March 14th, 1997, Joe Mullen became the first American-born player to score 500 goals.