The Vegas Golden Knights have lost four consecutive games following their overtime loss to the New York Islanders. A goal and an assist from Matthew Schaefer highlighted regulation for New York. It was a choppy game, with ten total penalties and five for each side. Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy did not like some of the calls that went against his club during the game.
“Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy also not happy with officiating. ‘They don't give the younger guys much of a break.' Says a lot of stick infractions were '50-50 calls' that went against younger players. Also hated Marner trip on Holmstrom. Said Holmstrom embellished,' Andrew Gross of Newsday reported.
The Islanders scored on just one of the five power plays. Vegas did not score on the man-advantage. New York took two too many men penalties, including one in overtime. JG Pageau scored during that penalty, ending the game.
The Golden Knights are 27th in the NHL in penalty minutes, so taking five penalties in a game is rare for Cassidy's club. But the officials on Thursday called a tight game that put both teams on the power play frequently.
This is not a new conversation between Cassidy and the Islanders. While he was the head coach of the Boston Bruins, he took issue with officiating during the second round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In a takedown of what he saw as unfair officiating, Cassidy said, “I think they sell a narrative over there that it’s more like the New York Saints and not the New York Islanders.”
Now the coach of the Golden Knights and a Stanley Cup Champion, Cassidy is still not thrilled with the officiating. This time, it is partly because a team with high expectations has now lost four games in a row. Vegas should be Stanley Cup favorites with Mitch Marner on their team, but have been anything but in recent weeks.
