Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy wasn't impressed with his club's performance against the New Jersey Devils on Monday.
"We basically played a beer league game out there," Cassidy said postgame. "We thought it was preseason, I guess."
The Golden Knights overcame an early 3-1 deficit but then coughed up a 5-3 lead to ultimately lose the rollercoaster affair 6-5 in overtime.
"We didn't defend to our structure or principals at all," Cassidy continued. "The plays we made, right up to the last goal, were careless, disrespectful to the game. At the end of the day, we lose. And it's what we deserve if we're going to play like that."
The normally stingy Golden Knights allow 2.85 expected goals against per 60 minutes on the season, the sixth-best mark in the NHL, per Natural Stat Trick. However, the Devils were credited with 3.66 expected goals in the contest.
The defending Stanley Cup champions also rank seventh in the league in goals allowed per game (2.72) and held their opponents to three goals or less in seven straight games entering Monday's outing.
Cassidy specifically called out the blue-liners.
"At the end of the day, we have a veteran D core, and they were not good tonight as a group," he said. "Jersey will make you pay if you're not good there."
The Devils boast a dangerous offense that ranks eighth in the NHL with 3.47 goals per game, but Cassidy reiterated that this type of performance is inexcusable by his standards.
"Tonight was not something that should be acceptable," he said.
Vegas has a chance to rebound on Tuesday against the Patrick Roy-led New York Islanders.
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