Cassidy 'dialed in' trying to win Stanley Cup with Golden Knights

LAS VEGAS -- When Bruce Cassidy went to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time as an NHL coach in 2019, it was a little eye opening.

"I was only at it for three years and I'm like, 'Wow, I'm in the Stanley Cup Final. That's kind of cool.' Now I'm in the Cup final and it's time to win it," the Vegas Golden Knights coach said about his trip with the Boston Bruins, who lost in seven games to the St. Louis Blues that year.

"I'm not saying I wasn't prepared or trying to win it last time. I just think you have a different mindset after you go through the whole process, you get to the very top of the hill and you don't quite get to the top. You're just a little more dialed in. At least that's the way I'm looking at it."

The Golden Knights look dialed in right now. They lead the best-of-7 series 2-0 after a 7-2 win against the Florida Panthers in Game 2 at T-Mobile Arena on Monday.

Vegas can move one step closer to winning the first championship in its six-season history, and the first in Cassidy's coaching career, when it visits Florida in Game 3 at FLA Live Arena on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; TNT, TBS, truTV, CBC, SN, TVAS).

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Cassidy was named the third coach in Golden Knights history on June 8, 2022, two days after the Bruins fired him following six seasons there. Cassidy is 343-177-62 with nine ties in 591 games with the Washington Capitals, Bruins and Golden Knights. He replaced Peter DeBoer, who was fired May 16, 2022, after Vegas lost more than 500 man games to injury and finished three points behind the Nashville Predators for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference last season.

"Bruce has been great," Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague said. "I think as a team we had a bit of a bitterness after last season, missing the playoffs. To have a new voice come in I think he's done a good job of kind of pushing us in the right direction to get to this stage. It's worked well all season. It's been good."

The Golden Knights (51-22-9) finished first in the Pacific Division and Western Conference under Cassidy this season. They defeated the Winnipeg Jets in five games in the first round of the playoffs, the Edmonton Oilers in six games in the second round and Dallas Stars in six games in the conference final.

"He's put in place a very direct forward game for us," Vegas forward Keegan Kolesar said. "I think it's less waiting to play for the develop. Now it's more just attacking the play whenever we can, playing quick, using our speed to our advantage.

"You saw it last series (against the Stars). We were able to play at a really high pace and I think that's why we were able to come away with a win, especially in that series. We played direct with their [defensemen], we played behind them as much as we could and he made some little alterations from last year in our systems that have helped us as well."

The same has gone for the defense.

"Especially in the [defensive] zone, there's no question marks," Vegas defenseman Zach Whitecloud said. "I think a lot of systems in the NHL now, coaches are trying to take away the thinking aspect of the [defensive] zone. Everyone knows their role and it's pretty black and white in terms of where you have to be and what scenarios.

"Obviously, it's no surprise that our [defensemen] stay close to the net, our centers take care of a lot of the back and forth in our zone and wingers try to take away the walls and take away the points. Then going up the ice, he just lets us create. As a hockey player, especially with our forward group, that's what you want from a coach is kind of give them the wheel, per se, to be creative up the ice. There's no direct where you have to be, going up the ice. The [defensemen] can lead the rush or the forwards can. Then once you get in there, just be creative and try to create opportunities."

The freedom to create on offense and stingy defense has been evident for the Golden Knights, especially in the playoffs. They're averaging 3.89 goals per game, first among postseason teams. They're allowing 2.58 goals per game, third among playoff teams. They have a League-leading 224 takeaways (the Panthers are second with 166) and lead the playoffs with 363 blocked shots, 63 more than the Panthers, who are second with 300.

"It took a little bit just for it to feel second nature and you're just kind of letting it happen and you weren't thinking so much about it," Vegas forward Chandler Stephenson said. "He's a winning coach and we're here for a reason. So yeah, he's been outstanding all year and there are things he wants to do but he also just lets us play at the same time."

Cassidy learned a lot in his first foray into the Stanley Cup Final. That one ended with disappointment. With the Golden Knights playing at such a high level, this one could end on a much more positive note.

"It's obviously awesome to be back here. I think every guy in the Final would tell you that," Cassidy said. "I had one kick at it a few years ago, didn't work out, so nice to get another opportunity."