Do you know the story of the chocolate chip cookie's origin? It started in the 1930s when Ruth Graves Wakefield wanted to create a butterscotch cookie with melted chocolate. However, she ran out of baker's chocolate. What's someone to do when they have a chocolate emergency?
Why, you go with Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate bars and chop them into pieces. But there was a catch with this: Those chocolate bars remained in chunks. The result? The birth of the chocolate chip cookie.
Bruce Cassidy is no stranger to trying new things like Wakefield. When he sees a line not working, he's not afraid to go to the line mixer to change the lineup. On Tuesday, he did that with Jack Eichel and William Karlsson, giving the Vegas Golden Knights some fresh legs.
Lo and behold, it worked! Eichel got two assists and Karlsson kicked off the scoring for the Golden Knights! An overturned Ryan Hartman goal might've saved the game due to an offside call (thank you, Gustav Nyquist!). However, Cassidy seems to have found a working partner for Eichel.
Suddenly, the Golden Knights have a top line as sweet as a chocolate chip cookie! Karlsson is discovering his capabilities as a winger, while the Massachusetts native has arrived in the series. On top of that, Vegas has a 3-2 lead. Oh, how sweet it is!
But there's a good reason for keeping the duo together. It's key to fending off the Minnesota Wild for good and moving on to the next round. Why does this sound like a tasty idea?
1.) Eichel and Karlsson work well on the penalty kill, too
William Karlsson's first period goal came on a shorthanded opportunity. Jumping on a turnover from one too many passes, Karlsson and Jack Eichel pace down the ice. Three Wild defenders are trying to contain the pair. However, the superstar center found the "Misfit" for the open net and the first goal.
Plays like this stretch beyond even strength. The pair can also be effective on special teams, particularly the penalty kill. Fans have seen this with a pair of "Misfits" this season. That should be no different with Karlsson and Eichel playing together.
2.) Eichel and Karlsson have the experience edge
Most of all, that familiarity bleeds over to even strength. Such opportunities will pop up in 5-on-5 situations as well, giving the Golden Knights an unprecedented advantage. Bruce Cassidy should abuse this as much as possible, using the playoff-tested veterans against Minnesota.
Both players have also been on a deep playoff run. The Minnesota Wild haven't made it past the first round since 2015. Meanwhile, Eichel and Karlsson won the Stanley Cup in 2023. The advantage is obvious: the pair should stay together.
You can even say the same thing for teams like the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, or Winnipeg Jets. Have any of these teams won the Stanley Cup? Edmonton might've fallen one game short last season. However, the Golden Knights have the experience advantage across the board, starting with Eichel and Karlsson together.
3.) Bruce Cassidy creates a mismatch with the Golden Knights duo
Going back to the shorthanded goal, Eichel pounced on a turnover and caught the Minnesota Wild in transition. Suddenly, the Vegas Golden Knights have more forechecking bite to their game. They can counter the Wild and run down the ice with the two veterans entering the zone.
Add Pavel Dorofeyev on the opposite wing and you have a more aggressive top unit. Now the group is shooting the puck more and they're playing with more of an edge. They kept the Minnesota Wild on their heels in the first period. They also neutralized the Wild throughout much of the night, preventing them from getting quality chances on the net. Now that's delicious.