Jae C. Hong / AP
Vegas Golden Knights’ Paul Cotter (43) falls over Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick during the third period Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022, in Los Angeles. The Golden Knights won 4-3.
Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022 | 2 a.m.
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Following the Golden Knights’ 4-3 preseason win at home over the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 4, Bruce Cassidy was happy with the production from one of his two NHL-caliber lines that night — the one centered by William Karlsson.
The other one? Not so much.
“Right now, our fourth line is not anywhere close where it needs to be if they’re going to be contributing big minutes to our team in terms of that shutdown role and identity line,” Cassidy said after that game.
The trio of Nicolas Roy, Paul Cotter and Keegan Kolesar played as bad as the criticism warranted. Cassidy relies on his fourth line to start games and set the tone with its energy. That night, the line allowed nine shot attempts, seven scoring chances and four high-danger chances at 5-on-5.
They met with Cassidy the next morning to discuss how to get in front of the eight ball and be a reliable unit that Cassidy could rely on to play 10-12 minutes a night.
“I think that game, I don’t think it was terrible,” Roy said. “He wants us to play a reliable game and be good defensively to trust us.”
That trust has since been reestablished after a strong performance in Vegas’ season opener Tuesday, a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena.
Immediate reflection will turn to Mark Stone’s game-winning goal with 24.9 seconds left, putting a pin on a third period that saw the Kings tie up the game twice.
But the fourth line was at its best on Tuesday. It played 10:55 at even strength and finished with an 8-7 advantage in shot attempts, 7-2 in scoring chances and 4-0 in high-danger chances. Cotter played 13:54 and Kolesar logged 12:06 without special teams time. Roy, with reps on the second power play unit, played 16:10.
“Played the way they’re supposed to,” Cassidy said. “Great O-zone possession, never really in trouble in their own end. Played against whoever they were against. Good for them.”
Roy has centered that line for the majority of his three-plus years with Vegas. After signing a five-year extension in the offseason, the expectation was he would find a promotion up the lineup after a career-high 39 points in 78 games last season.
The Golden Knights’ center depth has pushed Roy to stay there, but the 6-foot-4, 25-year-old center has always liked playing the physical, checking style that comes with being a fourth liner.
Kolesar and Cotter aren’t the flashiest wingers, either. The forwards are tasked with playing simplified hockey, which worked when skating through the Kings’ 1-3-1 defensive formation — one skater up top, three in the middle, with one defenseman trailing.
“We were playing our systems, playing our strengths, and playing a fast-paced game,” Kolesar said. “It’s hard for teams to compete with that with the forward group we have.”
Cotter earned that role with his stellar preseason play — five points in seven games — but also because original fourth-line left winger William Carrier has dealt with a midbody injury since the first preseason game in Colorado.
Carrier was a full participant Wednesday and returned to the fourth line with Kolesar and Roy. Cotter was bumped up to the third line with Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson, meaning Michael Amadio will be a healthy scratch tonight for the Golden Knights’ home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks (7 p.m. AT&T SportsNet).
“It’s a lot easier to play with [Roy] and Kolesar because you know what you’re getting,” Cotter said following morning skate on Tuesday. “You know they’re going to compete every shift.”
Cotter and Carrier have a different approach to their roles. Cotter has shown a scoring touch while attacking the net, whereas Carrier relies on checking and hitting to make an impact. Cassidy thinks the two aren’t far off to where the strategy has to change should Carrier make his season debut.
“The video I’ve watched from that line [Carrier, Roy and Kolesar], they were an identity line. I thought they all hung onto pucks, they’re all hard to play against, they have the ability to finish,” Cassidy said. “If Will goes back on that line, that’s where he’ll go if he’s healthy. I expect he’ll get back to his game right away and that line can give us a game like they did [Tuesday].”
The Golden Knights put 51 shots on Kings goalie Jonathan Quick with eight of them coming from the fourth line. Cassidy wants to roll four lines while staying aggressive on the forecheck.
One game down, the results are strong.
“You look at our lineup, we’re really deep,” Roy said. “Every line can score, every line can be a tough matchup for the other team. All these first three lines can score at any time. We want to make space and help them out as much as we can.”
Gold carpet event
The annual tradition of fans getting to welcome the Golden Knights for their home opener continues Thursday. Players and staff will walk the gold carpet outside T-Mobile Arena where fans can get autographs and pictures with the players. That begins at 3:30 p.m. on Toshiba Plaza.
TV info for Golden Knights vs. Blackhawks
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Cox 313, DirecTV 674)
Radio: Fox Sports 98.9 FM
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
