Lawless: The Waiting is the Hardest Part

If one had to distill all things Bruce Cassidy into a concise sentence it would simply be this: Bruce Cassidy knows how to win games.

And in this next round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs his abilities will be put to an ultimate test facing off against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.
McDavid and the also brilliant Leon Draisaitl appear to be at the height of their powers. Defeating them in a best-of-seven series will require a superior act of discipline. Vegas must stick to its game. They will need four games of near perfect execution. Heightened attention to detail and a continued unwillingness to take penalties will be paramount.
Edmonton is a force. They have the two best offensive players in the world and the best power play hockey has seen in decades and perhaps ever.
There are any number of storylines to dissect. Jack Eichel vs. McDavid. Mark Stone vs. Draisaitl. William Karlsson vs. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Laurent Brossoit vs. Stuart Skinner. Cassidy vs. Jay Woodcroft.
A major key will be the Oilers power play vs. the least penalized team in the NHL. Vegas doesn't take penalties. They didn't in the regular season and once they settled down in the first round the same could be said. Winnipeg had power plays early in the series but the last two games saw them enjoy just two man advantage situations. Keeping the Oilers off the power play, which is operating at 57 percent, will be key.
The way to defeat Edmonton is to play as a five-man unit valuing puck management and defending. Vegas hit those highs for stretches in the opening round vs. Winnipeg. But the Oilers are better and deeper than the Jets. The Golden Knights must lengthen those stretches against Edmonton if they intend to win.
Cassidy has provided the roadmap to beating the Oilers. Now his players must use the formula.
It's been said that poor teams have no leaders, good teams are led by their coach and great teams are led by the players. VGK captain Stone has made his team much better upon his return.
"We were ready to go in Game 5. We came to win. And I put a lot of that on Stoney," said defensemen Nic Hague. "He wasn't letting us lose."
Stone planted the seed immediately after Game 4 in Winnipeg. Telling his teammates the next game was "the big one." He continually drilled that message into his teammates and the result was one of the best stretches of hockey in VGK history. The first 40 minutes of Game 5 saw the Golden Knights give up one scoring chance and no goals while piling up four scores of their own. It's the kind of hockey Vegas must play in order to defeat the Oilers.
Much of what Vegas accomplishes in the next round will come from the dressing room. Cassidy can tell them what to do and they have executed at a high rate. The players will need to take it up a notch vs. Edmonton. Vegas must get to its game early and hold it for 60 minutes or more in games throughout the series. Jets coach Rick Bowness accused his team of not pushing pack in the previous series. The Oilers are going to push back. They just defeated a deep and defensive oriented team in the Kings. Edmonton is more than two players. They're deeper than they have ever been in the McDavid era.
Cassidy has pushed the right buttons in terms of roster decisions and in game adjustments. He'll need to continue finding the right mix against Edmonton.
Cassidy is a weapon for Vegas. Among coaches with 500-plus NHL games, Cassidy and his .640 winning percentage ranks third behind only Scotty Bowman and Jon Cooper.
Cassidy became the first coach in NHL history to have back to back 51-win seasons with different organizations. Last season he won 51 with the Boston Bruins and this year he collected 51 with the Golden Knights.
The coach will tell you it begins and ends with the players and that's true. If GM Kelly McCrimmon and president of hockey operations George McPhee don't hand Cassidy a roster with talent and depth the success the organization has found this season doesn't happen.
Cassidy doesn't have a magic wand. He holds his players accountable within the installed system and demands responsible puck management. Don't give the opposition any chances to score and they won't. The offense will follow.
It's simple enough. Vegas is about to face an opponent, however, who can force a team to make mistakes.
It's an offensive force vs. disciples of discipline. What's better? We're about to find out.