Bruce Cassidy had three words for the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. He saw his team struggling against the Detroit Red Wings early and gave them some NSFW wisdom.
"F****** wake up!"Bruce Cassidy
It appeared those words of wisdom woke the team up. They doubled up Detroit, 6-3, and scored three goals in the first period against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It resulted in a resounding 4-2 win and a three-game sweep on the homestand.
It's understandable why Cassidy would have some expletives on Saturday. The team came off a subpar four-game road trip, finishing 1-1-2. Points were left on the board and the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers weren't going away.
So what better way than to play angry? That started with Nicolas Roy scoring his 11th goal on the power play. William Karlsson wanted "Dancing Queen" to be played, so he assisted the goal with Alex Pietrangelo. Then came a red-hot Tomas Hertl with his fourth goal in two games. Then came Jack Eichel with this beauty of a one-timer. Take it away, Taylor Rocha.
JACK EICHEL WITH THE BEAUTY ONE-TIMER 🔥 #VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/vbIIccHF5u
— Taylor Rocha (@TaylorRochaTV) March 24, 2025
Mind you, the Golden Knights have six first-period goals in their last two games. It's a promising sign for Cassidy since the team has struggled with getting off on the right foot. Doing so against a solid Lightning team is even more impressive.
But the main story wasn't the first-period blitz by Vegas. Instead, it was the surprising goaltender matchup that was won by the underdog. Sure, the home team was favored on Sunday, albeit by -115. However, the backup netminder had a great game when called upon.
Ilya Samsonov locked in for a Golden Knights victory over the Lightning
One would expect a battle between Andrei Vasilevskiy and Ilya Samsonov to be tilted towards the Tampa Bay Lightning netminder. The former does have a Conn Smythe Trophy and a Vezina Trophy to his name, after all. However, the Golden Knights backup held his own against a legendary goaltender.
How? He stopped 35 of 37 shots. These are the types of performances that Bruce Cassidy wants to see. No more slow starts where you must overcome a two-goal deficit. No more making Steve Dangle's head explode with horrific goaltender play. Wake The F*** Up!
Of course, Sunday's game wasn't all unicorns and rainbows. Tomas Hertl sustained a brutal upper-body hit from Emil Lilleberg in the third period. That led to a two-minute boarding penalty and the Czech native leaving the game. How will Vegas overcome this potential loss? Stay tuned.
Bruce Cassidy's words of wisdom are resonating with the Golden Knights
A week ago, it appeared the sky was falling in Las Vegas. Everyone was panicking that the team was entering a prolonged funk like they were in January.
"This team doesn't care!"
"Looks like the Vegas Golfin' Knights are prepping for the golf course again."
However, Sunday's game against Tampa Bay showed a different side. When the goals dried up after the first period, Ilya Samsonov picked up the slack. When players were being pushed around, Brett Howden and Mark Stone stepped in.
It's a refreshing sight for fans worried about the team's lack of caring before the playoffs. Saturday showed a masterclass of their capabilities with Tomas Hertl taking the lead. Sunday showed the ability to lock in and take down the league's best competition.
Who knows? Maybe Cassidy's three wise words will be a rallying cry for the Golden Knights come Stanley Cup playoff time. If Vegas can overcome Hertl potentially being out for a long time after a bad hit, they will be "golden." If they can rally behind their head coach's fiery words, it'll become something you'll see all over t-shirts in Las Vegas.