This is a team, however, used to handling goalie injuries. It seems whoever has been in net over the last year has done the job. Hasn’t made much of a difference whose name is on the back of a sweater.
It’s a fact that could be tested yet again depending on Thompson’s health.
“I think he’s going to be just fine,” Cassidy said.
These are the games in which you need to find something within, and there’s no question the Buffalo loss helped in that realm. Even when the Knights earned a comfortable lead in the second period Sunday, they kept pushing forward.
“I think we motivate ourselves,” said center Nicolas Roy, who had a power-play goal. “We have a lot to play for. We want to go back-to-back, so there’s obviously some big expectations. You’re not always going to have the same energy every night. You have to find it. You have to grind through.
“Everybody goes through it. Obviously, we can’t wait to make the playoffs, but you have to go game-to-game and try to get your game in the right place.”
So now it’s back to the road for games at Carolina, Tampa Bay and Florida before Christmas, back to the grind, back to finding different types of motivation depending on the day and opponent.
Scary thing is, the Golden Knights could play much better than we’ve seen the last week.
Just the reality of going through those 82 before the real fun begins.