Bruce Cassidy is a blunt person. He's the type of coach who isn't afraid to make necessary changes to the Vegas Golden Knights. That includes shuffling his lineups and booting certain players out of his lineup (looking at you, Alexander Holtz). You can't argue with the results since it led to a Stanley Cup in 2023.
Butch was back to his old tricks on Thursday during the team's morning skate. He laid out clear expectations for their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets with one simple quote.
"I don't want to hear the damn cannon all night," Bruce Cassidy @GoldenKnights coach after morning skate in Columbus
— gary lawless (@garylawless) March 13, 2025
In case you don't know what he's talking about, he's referring to the cannon fired at Nationwide Arena. That comes after every Blue Jackets goal, where the cannon has been fired 122 times this season. Overall, the team has 217 goals in 2024-25, making them a potent offense. It's no wonder they're 20-6-4 at Nationwide Arena this season. Eventually, someone's getting knocked out by that cannon.
But in all seriousness, the head coach has a valid point. Limiting scoring and making life easier for your goaltender is paramount to winning. That means blocking shots, clogging shooting and passing lanes, and forechecking whenever possible. It's also something that the Stanley Cup winner will watch with intent eyes. He doesn't want to see Vegas go off the rails and fall behind again.
It's a legitimate concern considering Vegas has been outscored in the first period in the past two games, 3-0. It's led to being stuck in a massive hole that the team can't recover from... and losses. Being stuck in a hole and having a cannon pointed at you is never fun, after all. Let's explore the meaning behind this hilarious quip from Butch.
What Bruce Cassidy means regarding the Blue Jackets cannon
Everyone knows that the Blue Jackets love firing a cannon after every goal. Nationwide Arena sounds like a literal war zone whenever the home team's locked in and peppering their opponents with goals. That's what Bruce Cassidy means regarding the cannon firing all night.
Names like Kirill Marchenko (25 goals and 37 assists), Adam Fantilli (21 goals and 21 assists), and Zach Werenski (20 goals and 49 assists) have fired the cannon this season. In fact, five Blue Jackets have 20 or more goals in 2024-25. These players have gotten the offense going throughout the season, leading them to a temporary wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
That falls on the goaltending and blue line by limiting shots. Columbus does a good job in this aspect, blocking 1,085 shots (sixth in the NHL). Take that strategy and flip it on its head. Force the home team into getting a taste of their game. If the Golden Knights can do this and move in transition, that will lead to tremendous scoring opportunities.
Las Vegans won't like cannons on Thursday. They'd rather have two points than seeing something fire off in Ohio. Bruce Cassidy would rather keep his sanity and not deal with loud noises himself. That starts with getting off to a fast start and taking the Blue Jackets' strategy and turning it on its head. No AC/DC allowed, either.