Vegas Golden Knights center Paul Cotter (43), Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Kaedan Korczak (6) and Vegas Golden Knights center Phil Kessel (8) celebrate after Cotter scores past Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith (1) during the third period of a NHL hockey game at T-Mobile Arena Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023.
Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023 | 2 a.m.
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It took half a season, but the Golden Knights might have found a third line.
Overreactions are expected after one game, but William Karlsson, Paul Cotter and Phil Kessel were that good together in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The line combined for two goals — from Cotter and Kessel — and were the only group to maintain positive possession numbers at 5-on-5 (15 shot attempts for, 12 against).
“Our top six, whether they click or not, they’re good enough players to do it on their own. They’re going to produce. Our fourth line has done a great job with puck possession and getting shots on net and playing the way they need to play,” Cotter said. “That third line, guys have been in and out, so it’s been tough to find a rhythm.”
The new-look third line came about as a result of getting healthy bodies back. Cotter was one of them after he missed eight games with an upper-body injury.
The other was Jack Eichel, who centered the top line of Chandler Stephenson and Mark Stone before he missed 11 games with a lower-body injury. He scored and had two assists in his return Thursday while playing with Reilly Smith and Nicolas Roy, leaving Michael Amadio with Stone and Stephenson.
That left Karlsson moving down to more of a shutdown role on the third line — an identity coach Bruce Cassidy has wanted with that line, but hasn’t been able to primarily due to injuries.
It’s too early to find out if Cassidy has found something that works, but he’s going to go back to it Saturday when the Golden Knights continue their seven-game homestand against the Los Angeles Kings (7 p.m., ATTSN-RM).
In order for it to work, Cassidy said, it starts with Karlsson. While the center moves down from his usual linemates of Smith and Jonathan Marchessault, Karlsson won't be tasked to provide the goal scoring. Rather, he'll defer to Kessel and Cotter. If he plays a strong defensive game, the wingers can create on their own.
Cotter’s goal in the third period was a perfect example. Karlsson won the puck battle at the half wall and found Kessel breaking through the neutral zone. Cotter buried the one-timer off the 2-on-1 with Kessel on his left.
“They got some speed,” Karlsson said. “That’s one of our strengths. We should probably play that way: as soon as we get the puck, go the other way as fast as possible.”
The Golden Knights remain atop the Western Conference at the halfway mark thanks to the play of their stars in the top six. A third line that can be effective will further help them.
Karlsson assisted on both goals and is on pace for a 56-point season, which would be his most since the 2019 season. The goals (seven) are still down, but Karlsson is having a bounce-back season after a difficult two-year stretch of 39 and 35 points, respectively.
In what’s been a season of disappointment for Kessel, the NHL’s iron man at 1,023 consecutive games played, Thursday was arguably his best game on both sides of the rink. His goal 1:52 into the opening period ended an eight-game goal drought to give him 16 points on the season.
“We had a good start, so that helped,” Karlsson said of Kessel’s goal. “We were kind of humming, for sure.”
Kessel’s inconsistencies have heightened the possibility that he could be scratched unless he finds his game. The scoring remains unpredictable (seven points in 16 games) and his defensive game is too unreliable to be trusted in a top-six role.
Cassidy hopes that this game can springboard Kessel into a more consistent level of play.
“Phil thinks the game. He needs players around him that he can read off of and anticipate,” Cassidy said. “I think Karly gives him that. Paul certainly has that, but Paul is more north-south, get-to-the-net kind of guy, whereas Karly is a cerebral guy.”
Cotter is still finding his legs in the NHL but has shown flashes with eight points in 23 games this season. The upper-body injury he sustained in Chicago on Dec. 15 was, he said, something he never experienced before.
“It was frustrating, for sure. It’s not easy,” Cotter said. “The workouts, the skates, it all adds up after a while. It’s important to stay positive.”
The Golden Knights are on a seasonlong four-game home winning streak, scoring five goals in each of those wins. Cassidy thought Thursday was the most balanced scoring effort from his group since early in the season.
“If you get production from your listed third line, you're going to be a dangerous team,” Cassidy said. “I said that the other day: If we're healthy up front, we've got some firepower. We saw that at the start of the year. We’ll see how it plays out going forward. It was a good start for those three.”
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
