The Vegas Golden Knights made the decision over the weekend to fire head coach Bruce Cassidy and replace him with John Tortorella with eight games remaining in the regular season.

On the surface, it might be surprising to some. After all, Cassidy is one of the best head coaches in the entire league. Cassidy won a Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights back in 2023. He has a long track record of success dating back to his days in Boston, as do the Golden Knights since they came into the league. The Golden Knights currently sit in third place in the Pacific division and should comfortably be a playoff team with just under ten games remaining.

For most organizations, that would be good enough as we head into the final few weeks of the regular season.

The Vegas Golden Knights aren’t most organizations.

Since the day they entered the league, they have operated with a ‘win at all costs’ mentality. It doesn’t matter who their coach is or what he has done there. The coach is as disposable as a tissue if they’re not winning. It doesn’t matter who their players are. It doesn’t matter if Marc-Andre Fleury is a fan favorite Vezina trophy winner. If Vegas can upgrade in net, they will try to do so. If they can swing a trade for Mark Stone, Jack Eichel, Tomas Hertl, Noah Hanifin, or Rasmus Andersson, they’ll do it. If they can sign a Mitch Marner or Alex Pietrangelo, they won’t hesitate. Perhaps just as importantly, they don’t let sentimentality get in the way when it comes to holding onto longtime original Misfits like Reilly Smith (who has since returned to Vegas at a discount) and Jonathan Marchessault, among others. Vegas is as ruthless and cold-hearted when it comes to personnel decisions as it gets.

Some might ask what’s the point of firing the coach with eight games left in the regular season. But if you’ve already decided as an organization that you’re going to move on once the season ends anyways, why would you wait to lose to the Oilers in six games in the first round of the playoffs to do so? Wouldn’t you make a change now just to see if you can light a fire under the team just in time for the most important games of the season?

How’s this for a novel concept…..wouldn’t you try to save your season?

It might not be the most people-friendly way of treating your own to just discard them when they’re deemed to be no longer useful when it comes to achieving your goals. But the Vegas Golden Knights have shown time and time again that they don’t care about your feelings. This isn’t summer camp where we all get a participation ribbon. It’s an environment that might rub some the wrong way and might not always work, and in this instance with Tortorella replacing Cassidy, it very well might not work. Heck, this approach has only worked once in eight seasons for the Golden Knights where they’ve won a championship.

But like it or not, that’s the high standard that Vegas has set for themselves and the culture they’ve built in their short time in the league. The standard is to win, and if you’re not helping to achieve that goal, you won’t be around for very long. If they can find someone who is better equipped to help them win, they won’t hesitate to pull the trigger and make that change. And if it does work out and they do win? Flags fly forever. See you at the parade at the Las Vegas Strip. The end justified the means.

Part of what makes the Golden Knights the Golden Knights is knowing that good enough isn’t actually good enough. Hoping things just magically get better and doing nothing isn’t a strategy, and they’re not going to just settle. It’s not good enough that they lost three in a row and six of seven before making the coaching change. It’s not good enough that at this point of the season that they barely have more points than the Devils do. It’s not good enough that Edmonton, their most likely playoff opponent in the first round, has had their number. Vegas has lost 9 of their last 10 to the Oilers, including playoffs, dating back to last season. Going from Cassidy to Tortorella might not work out, but at least they’re trying to do something to flip the script. They know they only have a limited number of kicks at the can with their core. Punting seasons for no good reason isn’t acceptable.

There will come a day where Vegas continuing to trade futures won’t work. Where signing a big free agent won’t extend their window. Where making a coaching change won’t bail them out because the roster is what it is. There will be a day where the entire house of cards that the Golden Knights are built upon collapses. They will have to do a much dreaded rebuild, and the rest of the league will show no sympathy towards them when it comes to paying them back on the ice after Vegas was on or near the top of the league for so long. Heck, its possible they’re already at that point and they’re in denial.

But the Golden Knights clearly don’t think they’re at that point yet.

They’re operating with a sense of urgency that we don’t see most teams operate with by channeling their inner Lou Lamoriello and replacing a head coach with a handful of games remaining in the regular season. They hold their own accountable, at every level. That ‘win at all costs’ approach is who Vegas is as an organization.

By the way, I’m using the words I’m using to describe Vegas for a reason. Words like ‘culture’, ‘identity’, ‘standard’, ‘accountable’ and ‘urgency’. Because when people think of the Golden Knights, what do they associate with them? Winning, first and foremost, but also, doing whatever it takes to win.

Must be nice.

So why am I waxing poetic about the Golden Knights on a Devils-centric blog?

For starters, I do admire their conviction in their beliefs and their willingness to not just accept their fate and blame injuries or bad luck. I respect that they operate in the manner they do, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I wish the Devils were more cutthroat chasing what should be the ultimate goal, which is winning a championship.

I’m not entirely sure I even agree with the decision to fire Cassidy for Tortorella. Yes, both of them are Stanley Cup championship winning coaches. I don’t know that I consider Cassidy to be the problem though when most of their issues are goaltending, shooting, and PDO related. In fact, I consider Cassidy to be one of the three or four best coaches in the league, to the point where there should be a bunch of teams holding meetings this week discussing whether or not they should fire their current coach immediately to hire Cassidy. I do think Vegas as an organization could use a kick in the pants though, and there’s probably not a better coach to do that in the short-term and get the attention of the room than John Tortorella, so from that standpoint, I get why they made this particular change.

More importantly, I respect how aggressive they are to try to achieve their goals. I respect the sense of urgency with which they operate. Why sit around and wait until the trade deadline to go get Rasmus Andersson when you can get him in January? Why go into the playoffs as flat as any team in the league when there’s a chance you get the coaching bump from Tortorella screaming at everyone and go on a run?

Some might argue that this is a panic move or an act of desperation on the part of the Golden Knights. And perhaps it is to some extent. But it also says something about who you are when you can look in the mirror and admit that what you’re doing isn’t working. If you know what you’re doing isn’t going to work, why are you continuing to do it?

That’s not desperation. That’s reading the room, seeing things aren’t going as you expected, being honest with yourself in your self-assessment, reacting with new information that has since been presented to you, and doing something to try to fix it before its too late and you threw a season away for no good reason.

Again, must be nice.

How many times have we, as Devils fans, sat around on these forums over the years and complained about the Devils not doing enough? How many times have we complained about Tom Fitzgerald sitting on his hands and not doing anything? How many times have we been told to be patient? That there’s no coaching change coming. No trades. How many times have excuses been made for why the Devils aren’t doing more, whether it’s because the team is capped out, injured, or both. How many times have the Devils refused to even so much as go and call someone up from Utica just to see if they can create a spark. How many times have we begged for scraps from top Devils brass over the years only to be given nothing?

If the roles were reversed and the Devils operated with the same standard and same urgency that Vegas does, does anyone think Tom Fitzgerald survives this season when someone above him looks at the mess he created? Would an organization like Vegas tolerate some of the terrible contracts handed out and massive draft misses that have happened under Fitzgerald’s watch?

Does anyone think Sheldon Keefe survives the season when the Devils are going through their prolonged stretch where they can’t score? Or do the Devils make a change sometime in December or January when the season was still salvageable….not unlike what Buffalo or Columbus did when those organizations fired their GM and head coach, respectively. Not unlike what Vegas is trying to do now with Tortorella.

Do you think the Golden Knights would tolerate keeping Dave Rogalski continually employed for six plus years despite no actual positive results from any of the goaltenders?

Do you think the Golden Knights, a team that has manipulated the salary cap and found loopholes more than any other team to find a way to squeeze every last dollar under the cap, would’ve unnecessarily paid Evgenii Dadonov a $250K bonus that gets charged to next year’s cap when Dadonov has done nothing and every penny matters? Or would they have said tough luck and played some rando from their AHL affiliate instead?

I think we all know the answer to those questions.

Instead, we have what we have with the Devils. A country club atmosphere where people remain in their positions for years and years despite the lack of on-ice success. That’s the culture the Devils have fostered in the post-Lou Lamoriello era. One where the Devils ‘identity’ is a jumbled mess in part because the GM had steered the roster away from what they were building. One where there is zero sense of urgency from the top down when things are going poorly. One where the Devils are content to sit on their hands while playing poorly for months on end. One where the Devils still have no answers for the Carolina problem that has plagued them for years.

One where winning, while it would be nice, isn’t the highest priority.

That’s the difference between a team that is serious about winning and one that isn’t.

At the end of the day, we’re asking for the bare minimum here from ownership and management. We want to watch a competitive hockey team that has a realistic chance of winning. And when we’re not getting that, we want to know that the people in charge are at least aware of the problem. That they give a damn about this team as much as we do as fans. That they’re not just content to see how things go or see if they can work their way out of this. I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I also know doing nothing and expecting the problem to fix itself isn’t a plan.

The Calgary Flames will look to snap a three-game road skid when they visit the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night in Paradise, Nevada, with puck drop scheduled for 10 p.m. ET.

Vegas enters the matchup with a 33–26–16 overall record and a solid 11–5–5 mark within the Pacific Division. The Golden Knights have been especially dangerous when their offense clicks, boasting a dominant 32–6–10 record in games where they score at least three goals. Their ability to generate offense consistently has been a key factor in keeping them competitive in a tightly contested division.

Calgary, meanwhile, comes in at 31–35–8 overall. The Flames have shown resilience within the division, holding a 12–7–3 record against Pacific opponents. Like Vegas, Calgary’s success is closely tied to its offensive output, posting a strong 22–7–3 record when scoring three or more goals. However, defensive inconsistencies have contributed to their sub-.500 overall record.

Recent Form And Key Trends

This will be the fourth meeting of the season between the two clubs. Calgary claimed the most recent matchup, a 6–3 victory highlighted by a two-goal performance from veteran forward Mikael Backlund. That win remains a notable reference point as the Flames look to replicate that success on the road.

From an individual standpoint, Vegas continues to lean on the production of forward Tomas Hertl, who leads the team with 24 goals and 31 assists. His consistent scoring presence has been vital to the Golden Knights’ offensive structure. Forward Pavel Dorofeyev has also provided a spark recently, contributing four goals and five assists over his last 10 games.

For Calgary, Backlund remains a steady contributor with 16 goals and 24 assists on the season, continuing to play a two-way role for the club. Forward Morgan Frost has added momentum in recent games, tallying four goals and two assists over his last 10 outings, offering secondary scoring support that Calgary has needed.

Looking at recent form, Vegas has gone 4–4–2 over its last 10 games, averaging 2.6 goals per game while allowing 2.5. The Golden Knights have also been disciplined in limiting penalties compared to Calgary, averaging 11.4 penalty minutes per game during that span.

Calgary enters with a slightly stronger 6–3–1 record over its last 10 contests, producing 3.1 goals per game. However, defensive issues remain a concern, as the Flames have allowed an average of 3.3 goals during that stretch. Special teams and defensive zone execution will likely play a decisive role in determining whether Calgary can maintain its recent scoring uptick while tightening up at the back.

In terms of availability, both teams are dealing with notable absences. Vegas will be without William Karlsson (lower body), as well as depth players Carter Hart (leg) and Jonas Rondbjerg (lower body). Calgary’s injury list is longer, with Jonathan Huberdeau out for the season (hip), along with Samuel Honzek (upper body), Jake Bean (undisclosed), Joel Hanley (upper body), and Yan Kuznetsov (day-to-day, upper body). Connor Zary is also day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

With both teams still jockeying for positioning in the Pacific Division, Thursday’s matchup carries added importance. Vegas will aim to defend home ice and capitalize on its offensive strengths, while Calgary looks to build on recent scoring trends and reverse its road struggles.

The Montreal Canadiens were in Tampa Bay on Tuesday night to take on the leaders of the Atlantic Division, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Jakub Dobes was back in the net, fresh off being named the first star of the week in the NHL. In three games last week, the Czech netminder saved 100 of the 104 shots he faced and finished the week with a 1.33 goals-against average and a .962 save percentage. The rookie goaltender had 25 wins before Tuesday night’s game, besting both Patrick Roy and Carey Price's win totals in their rookie years. He won’t beat the record established by Ken Dryden, which stands at 39, but it’s still an impressive feat. Still, he had never beaten the Bolts and was hoping to do it on Tuesday.

For once, the Habs were ready to go when the puck dropped in Tampa, and they even led shots on goals-wise by the end of the first 20 minutes with nine shots to the Lightning’s eight, but the score was still tied at 1-1.

More on Canadiens’ Fowler' New Bucket
Montreal Canadiens Hit With Bad Injury News
Canadiens’ Suzuki Proves Clutch In Crunch Time

Slafkovsky Shone Bright

Juraj Slafkovsky celebrated his 22nd birthday on Monday, and he decided to keep the celebration going on Tuesday. The big Slovak played an impressive game, displaying everything he’s improved in his game this season. His puck possession, his ability to shield it with his body, and his ability to battle while keeping his balance have been key to the Canadiens’ strong possession game.

From a rookie who fell more often than not back in 2022, he has become a real power forward who gives headaches to his opponents. His reads have also gotten much better, and he’s able to identify when it’s time to switch things up. In the first frame, Ivan Demidov’s shots were off on the power play, and Slafkovsky initiated a permutation which led to him scoring the first goal of the game.

Then, in the second frame, he came into the Lightning’s territory in possession of the puck with plenty of speed and knowing full well where Cole Caufield was, he hung on to the puck until the very last second before delivering a perfect feed with a cross-zone pass right in front of the crease, allowing the sniper to notch his 47th game of the season. In the process, he cut Nathan MacKinnon’s lead in the race to the Rocket Richard trophy to just two goals.

Notre premier choix au repêchage qui fait des choix de premier plan

That's our first-overall pick making first-overall pick plays#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/B6Af5p98BG

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 1, 2026

A Combination To Avoid

With Alexandre Carrier out for two to four weeks, Arber Xhekaj was back on the blueline, forming a pair with Kaiden Guhle. However, the pairings can vary during a game, and at one stage, Xhekaj found himself on the ice at the same time as Jayden Struble. They ended up being stuck on the ice for 1:51 and 1:48, respectively, trapped in the zone and unable to exit.

While they are both capable of playing as a sixth defenseman, when they both must be in the lineup, it can become a bit of an adventure. It wouldn’t be surprising if freshly recalled Adam Engstrom had a turn sooner rather than later. The youngster is NHL-ready, and he has played most of his career on the right side, which isn’t the case for Struble or Xhekaj.

Furthermore, with the stakes as high as they are right now, it will be a great opportunity to see how he can handle pressure.

Another Huge Game From Dobes

While the Canadiens led in shots in the first frame, they did not lead in shots in any other period. Over the last 40 minutes, Tampa had 29 shots while Montreal only had 14, but that mattered very little since Dobes stopped them all.

His performance on Tuesday was rendered even more impressive because it wasn’t a struggling goalie at the other end of the ice; it was likely Vezina Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy. It didn’t impress the Canadiens’ netminder, though; he was simply Dobes (to the tune of Tina Turner’s Simply the Best) on the night.

In the end, the only goal he gave up came with a couple of players making it hard for him to follow Jake Guentzel around the net. For the rest of the night, he was incredibly solid. Could he have had better rebound control? Perhaps, but at that stage, it matters very little since he stopped every shot coming from the rebounds he gave.

On Caufield’s goal, the sniper and Mike Matheson both got their 300th point, and the blueliner even added an empty netter to put the icing on the cake, just like Suzuki, who also got one, his 92nd point on the season. As for Caufield, he now has 81 points on the year. Final score: Montreal 4, Tampa Bay 1. With that win, the Habs remain in third place in the Atlantic Division, but only two points behind Tampa and four points behind the Buffalo Sabres, who are now first thanks to a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders.

Un plateau, ça se vit encore mieux à deux

Milestones are better together#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/6SFYhJ79F7

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 1, 2026

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have positioned themselves nicely for a potential playoff spot with their back-to-back big wins against the New York Islanders and the Detroit Red Wings.

On consecutive nights, the Penguins blew past their opponents to give themselves a much better chance of making the playoffs now than they had just 48 hours prior.

As of Wednesday morning, the Penguins have a 95% chance of making the playoffs.

Going into Monday’s game against the Islanders, the Penguins were sitting with a 79% chance of making the playoffs, according to HockeyViz.

With their big 8-3 win on the road in New York, Pittsburgh’s chances jumped to around 90% with another pivotal game against the Red Wings at home the following day.

With the win against Detroit, it was another day, another win, and another boost in the playoff chances.

As the Penguins took care of their own business, their playoff chances jumped to 95%, according to HockeyViz and then scoreboard watching did them some favors, as well.

Other teams in the playoff hunt like the Senators, islanders, Blue Jackets, and Flyers all came up on the losing end on Tuesday night.

MoneyPuck currently also lists the Penguins as a 95% chance of making the postseason for the first time since 2022.

According to HockeyStats.com, the Penguins’ most likely playoff opponent will be the Blue Jackets or the Islanders.

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links

“It will be interesting to see if the Devils do look to hire someone solely for the president of hockey operations title this summer, and whether that would allow Fitzgerald to stick around for at least one more season as GM and assess him from there. The feeling in New Jersey is that Fitzgerald is preparing for the worst, knowing he’s on the hot seat.” [Sportsnet]

The Rangers avoided a season series sweep with a 4-1 win over the Devils on Tuesday. [Devils NHL]

We had a goalie fight:

A franchise record:

Injury updates:

It’s time to move:

Hockey Links

Maple Leafs part ways with Brad Treliving:

More history for Ovi:

“MLB’s automated strike zone system is leading to more accurate officiating. Should the NHL also use tracking technologies for offside and goal-line calls?” [The Hockey News]

A look around the league at each team’s best prospect: [ESPN]

“Macklin Celebrini is in the midst of one of the best NHL seasons ever produced by a teenager. On Monday night, the 19-year-old notched the 100th point of his sophomore campaign, posting two goals and an assist in a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Blues. Reaching the milestone puts him in some very elite company.” [Sportsnet]

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.