Vegas entered the season with high expectations after adding Mitch Marner, Jeremy Lauzon, and Colton Sissons in a busy summer. The roster looks different without Alex Pietrangelo and Nicolas Hague, but the core has tried to keep pace while adjusting to the changes. Jack Eichel continues to drive the attack with 24 points, and Pavel Dorofeyev has taken another step with 11 goals, seven of them on the power play.
The Golden Knights have beaten some strong opponents, including the Blues, Hurricanes, Bruins, and Red Wings; however, prolonged dips in form have slowed their progress. Their 8-4-6 record reflects a team with the talent to push higher but still searching for more consistency at five-on-five and on the penalty kill.
What Sparked the Coach’s Frustration With NHL Officials?
Bruce Cassidy did not hide his irritation after Vegas fell 3-2 in overtime to the Minnesota Wild on Sunday. The defeat ended on a late power play when Kirill Kaprizov scored with ten seconds left, but the moments leading to the call are what pushed the coach to speak up. Cassidy felt the hook on Shea Theodore was clear, and he questioned how the standard was applied.
“That probably wasn’t my best moment, but I just felt like there was an obvious hook on Theodore,” he said. “If your standard is going to be you’re going to let it go, then let it go.”
He delved deeper into his concern, explaining that proper checking involves lifting a stick from underneath, rather than making parallel contact. He pointed to recent calls across the league and said too many clean lifts are being treated as infractions.
“A stick lift is still part of the game,” he added as he described why the missed call bothered him.
The sequence left him frustrated because it came at a decisive point. Kaprizov’s winner arrived after the penalty to Theodore, and Cassidy believed the earlier non-call created an uneven situation. Even with the loss, he noted that special teams kept Vegas alive. Dorofeyev and Reilly Smith scored on the power play, and the penalty kill held firm until the final seconds.
“There’s part of the game we played really well,” Cassidy said. “But we needed to find more offense at five-on-five.”
Vegas will now try to reset quickly as it looks to move past the loss. Their next game comes against the New York Rangers on Tuesday at 10:00 p.m. EST in Vegas. The matchup brings another test with Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad leading the Rangers’ attack. Dorofeyev, Eichel, and Tomas Hertl remain the key players for the Golden Knights, while Adin Hill and Akira Schmid continue to split duties in net. Vegas will hope the night offers a cleaner whistle, sharper five-on-five play, and a chance to move past an emotional ending in Minnesota.