Vegas @ Vancouver preview
Rogers Arena
Last Meeting ( Mar 21, 2023 ) Vegas 4, Vancouver 3
It's not that the Vegas Golden Knights aren't allowed to have nice things anymore, it's just that when you are the defending Stanley Cup champions, sooner or later you realize that you can't rest on your achievements.
"There is a big silver trophy you get," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said Tuesday when asked what it is like to have a target on your back after winning the Stanley Cup. "It is a great time. There is a big fat ring that is beautiful to look at and there is also the other teams' best. That is what you get."
The Golden Knights can expect to get the surprising Canucks' best on Thursday when Vegas -- in a real slog the last few weeks -- travels to Vancouver with first place in the Pacific Division on the line.
According to Cassidy, his players are starting to realize that other teams are coming into games with extra motivation.
"You should be proud of that and look at it as an honor to be in that position. But the regular season is a daily grind, and that is why (Stanley Cup winners) have difficulties the next year."
Vegas comes into its first meeting of the season against the Canucks on a three-game losing streak (0-1-2) and with a tenuous one-point hold on first place in the division.
It is starting to get tight atop the Pacific with the Los Angeles Kings and the Canucks in hot pursuit of Vegas, which stormed out of the gate going 11-0-1 over its first 12 games.
"We won three shootouts in the first 12 games," Cassidy said, "so there is a bit of a pendulum that is swinging the other way. Some of those things that were happening for us at the beginning of the season aren't now."
That includes a 5-4 shootout loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.
After Evander Kane scored late in the second period to extend the Oilers' lead to 4-2, Ben Hutton and Keegan Kolesar scored in the third for the Golden Knights to tie the game and force overtime.
Edmonton's Connor McDavid, who had a goal and two assists in regulation, also scored in the shootout.
Michael Amadio had a goal and an assist and Mark Stone also scored for Vegas. Nicolas Roy added two assists and Logan Thompson finished with 30 saves while taking his fifth consecutive loss.
The Canucks have been one of the top teams in the league at home this season, going 8-1-1 through their first 10 games in Vancouver. They have won three of their past five overall, including a 3-1 victory over the visiting Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.
Brock Boeser scored two goals against Anaheim, his NHL-leading 16th and 17th of the season.
"I liked our response in the third period," said Boeser, who scored his 17th into an empty net with 48 seconds left. "We are playing better in the third period, and that is a lesson we learned. Last year in a lot of games we weren't good in the third period.
"When (coach Rick) Tocchet came in, that is one of the things we picked up on. If you have a bad second period, you have to let it go."
The Thursday contest will be the first of four games this season between the teams. They next meet on March 7 in Las Vegas.
--Field Level Media