The series is now within Golden Knights’ grasp, thanks largely to the superior coaching of Bruce Cassidy. In Game 5 against the Minnesota Wild, Cassidy’s strategy paid off as his team edged out a thrilling win.
Cassidy made several key decisions that limited the damage inflicted by the Wild’s dominant trio. Pairing top two players Mark Stone and Jack Eichel together with Matt Grzana or other defensemen proved to be effective in keeping them off the score sheet for multiple games. Additionally, Cassidy opted not to break up one of the most successful lines from Game 4, instead choosing to keep the bottom-six that helped the Wild win a pair of games earlier in the series silent.
On the other side, John Hynes’ decisions were less effective. After using his top players for much of the game, he made some questionable substitutions, including giving his 4th line their first shift of the overtime period and matching them up with his 3rd pair defensemen. This gave Cassidy the opportunity to counter with his own bottom-six and 3rd pair, ultimately sealing the win.
While the Wild have done an excellent job in shutting down Vegas’ top players throughout the series, their performance was largely due to puck luck rather than strategy. The Golden Knights’ coaching advantage is now clear, as they look to take the lead in the series.
Source: https://sinbin.vegas/golden-knights-biggest-advantage-in-the-series-came-through-in-game-5