What a difference a week makes, eh? After firing Bruce Cassidy and bringing in John Tortorella, the Vegas Golden Knights have suddenly won three straight games. That includes a 5-1 blowout of the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, where five different Golden Knights scored goals.
Fans took notice and started asking questions. They were wondering how in the world the team was competing so suddenly.
"How are the Golden Knights doing this?"
"Was Tortorella's bad temper and fiery passion the answer to their problems all along?"
Well, dear reader, it appears that this is the case. The Golden Knights have woken up offensively with 15 goals in their past three games. That included an offensive explosion from Mitch Marner on Thursday, where he had a hat trick and two assists. Those numbers will do wonders for a team expected to compete for a Stanley Cup in the preseason.
But it goes beyond that. The Golden Knights are getting much more from the offensive attack than anticipated. That's coming from a more aggressive approach from Tortorella, which has ignited a dormant team from its slumber. In fact, the stats show how he's changed the mindset for good.
The stats that show the Vegas Golden Knights are turning it up offensively under John Tortorella
Let's look at the shots per game for the Golden Knights this season. Vegas averages 28.84 shots per game, good for 10th in the NHL. However, the Golden Knights have 101 shots on goal since Tortorella arrived on the scene. That's good for 33.67 shots per game, which would lead the NHL in a full-season format (the Colorado Avalanche currently lead the NHL in shots on goal per game with 33.64).
Ironically, the new head coach hasn't deviated too far from Cassidy's system. Instead, he's implemented a more aggressive mentality, where the Golden Knights attack the net more. In turn, it's led to an offensive explosion, where players like Marner have benefitted from the mentality change.
I remember watching a compilation of Tortorella quotes on YouTube. While many of them were meme-worthy, others revealed the style and mentality that he wants from his teams. One of those was shots on goal, where he wasn't thrilled about his team not generating any offense.
That quote stood out because he's big on being the aggressor. If you're not keeping your opponent on your toes, what are you even doing? That was apparent on Saturday night, when the Golden Knights peppered Connor Ingram with 33 shots on goal.
In short, that mentality has turned Vegas into a fearsome machine capable of destruction. Sure, the naysayers will say that they are also beating hopeless teams like the Vancouver Canucks and the Calgary Flames. But Golden Knights fans have noticed a change in the team's mentality in the past week. That could be enough to make some noise in the Stanley Cup playoffs.