The Vegas Golden Knights are officially in Toronto to face the Maple Leafs, looking for an eighth-straight win to build on their league-best record early into the 2022-23 season.
Head coach Bruce Cassidy, Alec Martinez and Will Carrier met with the media ahead of the tilt tonight to give their thoughts on the game.
Both Martinez and Reilly Smith will be playing in their 700th NHL game, and the defenseman spoke about reaching the milestone at the same time as his teammate.
“I am very thankful and it took me long enough, and considering the injuries that I had and even last year not knowing if I would get to this point,” Martinez said. “So I guess it’s kind of nice, but at the same time I am not approaching it any different.”
The Golden Knights are coming off a 6-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night. They had a 5-2 lead late in the third period but again seemed to take their foot off the gas near the end of the game.
“For me, I just want to win hockey games,” Martinez said. “And I don’t really pay attention to stuff like that.”
Martinez laid out the game plan to ensure another road victory and says they will need a full team effort.
“We need to take away their time and space, and it’s no secret they have a high-powered offense. We have to be strong in the (defensive zone) and there’s a big focus on them, but we need to look at our own game too and keep getting better throughout the year.”
Carrier noted the team went back to what they were doing a bit last year and it seems to be going well.
“As a team, we need to adjust, and it’s tough in this league every night but a lot of guys are playing with confidence. So we have to keep going.”
Finally, Cassidy addressed the media and spoke about the game plan for the Golden Knights’ big tilt in Toronto against the Maple Leafs.
‘It’s our standard and expectation, and we need to confirm our identity. I have a good idea of what I want it to look like and I think we’re getting there. The players are playing well and we just need to continue.”
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