3 reasons why Golden Knights are rolling after All-Star break

The Pacific Division was a traffic jam, with six points separating first from fifth. The Knights were third.

Coach Bruce Cassidy’s message was about putting the team’s best foot forward to avoid another second-half slide out of the playoffs. The Knights might not win every game, but they needed to attack the stretch run with purpose.

The group seemed to get the message.

The Knights have stormed out of the break with three straight wins to grab a three-point lead in the Pacific entering Monday’s games. They have outscored opponents 17-4 in that span, tallying more goals than they did in their previous eight games combined.

“We saw (a sense of urgency) in all three games,” Cassidy said. “We kept playing hard start to finish.”

The hot streak has the Knights ahead in what should remain a competitive division race. Here are three reasons why they’re rolling again:

1. Blue line gets back together

The Knights, one through six, have one of the NHL’s best blue lines when everyone is available.

For a long time, that wasn’t the case.

Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo missed nearly three weeks in late November and early December because his daughter was seriously ill. While he was gone, defensemen Shea Theodore and Zach Whitecloud suffered lower-body injuries that kept them out nearly two months.

Whitecloud’s return Feb. 7 against Nashville gave the Knights their top six defensemen back for the first time since Nov. 26. The team’s defensive results since have been impressive.

The Knights have given up only four goals and 70 shots after the All-Star break. They have allowed two goals or fewer in four straight games for only the second time this season.

“We’re taking care of our own end pretty well,” center William Karlsson said.

2. New forward lines click

Losing captain Mark Stone, out indefinitely after undergoing back surgery, has forced Cassidy to experiment with his forward lines.

He seems to have found some solutions.

The new third line of left wing William Carrier, center Chandler Stephenson and right wing Phil Kessel has been great in the past five games. Carrier and Kessel each has six points, and Stephenson has four.

That’s not the only new group finding success. All four forward lines contributed a goal in Sunday’s 7-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks. Karlsson and center Jack Eichel have four points apiece in their past five games after getting a new set of wingers.

“Now we’ve got three lines it looks like that are balanced and hopefully are competing, not against the other team … but against each other every night,” Cassidy said. “We’re seeing some benefits of that.”

3. Confidence becomes contagious

There’s no doubt the Knights were ready for the break.

They were 0-2-2 on their four-game road trip before it. Eichel, Stephenson, left wing Reilly Smith and right wing Jonathan Marchessault had lengthy goal droughts.

Some time away appeared to clear everyone’s heads.

The players came back refreshed and were energized by the team’s annual fathers’ trip to Nashville and Minnesota. The loud cheering section on the road seemed to lighten the mood in the locker room and the Knights’ grips on their sticks.

Eichel, Stephenson and Smith found the back of the net before the trip was over. The Knights carried that momentum into Sunday’s rout before watching the Super Bowl together.

“It’s loose,” goaltender Adin Hill said. “Guys are having fun. It’s energetic. We come to the rink and we’re happy to see each other every day.”

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.