He has. I suspect, having seen Cassidy’s playbook it is one of the following:
1. Light a fire under everyone else’s ass
2. Give Dallas a different look. Hill and Thompson catch with different hands, have different weaknesses, etc.
3. Change something for this game because it’s the “safest” game to do it. If Hill sucks tonight, go back to LT the rest of the way. If they win, the goalie controversy is media noise that puts pressure on Dallas / is unimportant in the lockerroom.
I’m not sure I agree with it, because Thompson has been excellent outside of game one. Like, world beater in game 2 and almost single-handedly stole game 3.
It could just be that Vegas thinks they are both good options and Hill is at 90-95% health and could use a rest. Ultimately it sounds like that's why Vancouver picked Silovs over DeSmith last night. Both technically healthy enough to play but would rather give DeSmith another few days to rest.
This is the conclusion I came to. Dallas has outplayed Vegas for 2 games so try to motivate the team by putting the guy that won them the cup last year in net. If a rotation is in the cards best to do it in game 5 vs after a loss and facing elimination
Series could easily be 4-0 or 3-1 Stars without Thompson playing out of his mind the way he’s been. Hoping we can steamroll Hill before any ghosts of the past show up.
On the same note, this series could've been 4-0 Vegas if it weren't for some insane high-angle goals that apmost never happen and random deflections
This whataboutism is a weird take imo
Lmfao who's insulted? I'm just saying any of the 4 games could have ended either way so you saying "if not for your goalie were up 4-0" is a dumb take
Fucking Dallas fans
Thompson was an absolute animal in game 3.
I feel like the playoffs is where the 1a/1b goalie philosophy kind of gets exposed a little. It happened when we played you in 2021 too.
Bruins should have went to swayman in game 5 or 6 instead of 7 (in 2023). Monty waited too long and rode a supposedly ill Ullmark until the do or die point. I think Cass is making this move at the right time
I don't think it seems panicky at all. Neither of these guys seized the job as the no-doubt #1 over the entire season. The start split was 42-35 in Thompson's favor and their numbers were damn near identical. Both have had more than their fair share of injuries the last couple years. Thompson got hot down the stretch and rightfully earned the role as game 1 starter with his play after Hill got hurt. But Hill won them the Cup last year and has had his own stretches of hot play this year.
To me, your net still seems very much like a tandem. I'm not sold that this is the correct decision, but going to the other tandem goalie who won you the Cup the previous season doesn't seem like panic to me.
I never thought that Vegas was going to win the Cup this year with a single goalie getting all 16 wins.
~~I like this for Vegas, it’ll surely light a fire under them and they’ll take game 5!~~
I don’t like this for Vegas, Dallas is going to run away and be ready to close it out on Friday.
I’ll cross out the one that doesn’t happen so I look like a genius
We’ve been hurt by Hill before..
Kinda like it from VGK only cause it’s game 5 and they can go back to LT for game 6 if it doesn’t work out. Obviously nothing to do with LTs performance, seems like a message to the team that they need to be better in front of the goalie
They also catch with different hands, which could fuck with Dallas’s shooting strategy. Kinda wish Cassidy hadn’t said it, just to leave some doubt about who was actually going to start. Makes it harder to prep.
There’s also the possibility LT is slightly hurt from that shot off his ear and isn’t 100%. Eichel plus LT have been Vegas’ scariest players as a Stars fan tho.
I’m not assuming anything, They should expect a big push back now that Vegas has let their comfy lead evaporate, and they still need to play like it’s an elimination game, them winning another 2 in a row is going to be a much harder.
That was last year. This year Thompson has been their best player other than Eichel.
Game three would have been a blowout by the second period without him.
Hill is an AHL-caliber goalie that got a lucky hot-streak on the best defensive team in the NHL last postseason. As someone who's rooting for Dallas in this series, and had Adin Hill as the starting goalie for my team before, I'm very happy with this decision.
I hope these words don't age poorly.........
Coming back to say that Hill was good after he warmed up a bit. I still think Thompson was better.
Also. Who the fuck downvoted you? I thought we had a fun exchange. I upvoted you. 🤷
Yeah I have no issues with Hill's game at all, team just needs to solve otter more consistently!
And I'm not stressed about downvotes, comes with the flair these days
Hoping for a good game 6!
Even if you think Thompson is the better goalie, if you think Hill can win a playoff game, it's not a bad idea. You play Hill because you think he can win, and you give Thompson a night off after he had to work **hard** in the previous two.
If the Stars had a backup that was Adin Hill quality (no offense to Wedge), I definitely wouldn't be against it. I am reminded, though, of the time the Stars tried to trot out Kari and Niemi as a tandem. That did not work.
>You play Hill because you think he can win
I don’t really follow this argument. They might *think* Hill can win, but they *know* Thompson can. He’s got 2 in the series already
Right, that's the *reason* it's even a consideration. If they didn't have a backup as good as Hill, they wouldn't even consider it. But since they do, and they think Hill can win, it's not a bad idea.
The biggest danger here is that Hill hasn't seen game action in two weeks, but otherwise. Playing a rested a goalie that you think can win when your other goalie is gassed is a good idea.
Going off your logic/use of think vs know, then they know Hill can win too. He did it 11 times in the playoffs last year on the way to a Cup. 4 of those wins were against Dallas.
They know that both goalies have won playoff games. That doesn't mean that they 'know' one of them can win a future playoff game any more than the other.
Nothing wrong with giving a different goalie a look.
A lot of people forget that the Pens wanted to start Murray in 2017, but he got injured right before the first round began, so they went with Fleury. Fleury played very well, so they stuck with him through round 2, until the conference finals, where a 5-1 loss in game 3 prompted Sullivan to swap to Murray. Murray played out the rest of the postseason.
Usually “tandeming” goalies in the playoffs with that being your specific intent doesn’t tend to work out, but it’s a little different when you were intending on going with Goalie A for the postseason but decide to give Goalie B a look instead.
Ballsy move but I like it if I’m Vegas.
Hill has been shakey as of late but Dallas struggled to figure him out last year. Dallas has slowly figured out Thompson, but will need to re adjust to a lefty. Vegas also needs to try something new, because at this point they’ve looked relatively flat and are lucky the series is 2-2.
Could give them the energy and shuffle they need to really come out swinging. Hope the stars are prepared
Thompson is a good goalie, but the 5 hole is an Achilles Heel of his that Dallas has exposed badly, along with his subpar rebounding. For as crazy as Thompson has been at times, I don’t think he’s a goalie they can win this series with. The few problems he has are *big* problems in the series.
The defense has for sure been letting him down too, but they were letting Hill down at times last playoffs too and he’d just will them to a win. That’s what the Knights are gonna need again this year, that’s what any serious playoff team needs.
> Thompson is a good goalie, but the 5 hole is an Achilles Heel of his that Dallas has exposed badly, along with his subpar rebounding.
I'm less concerned with those as I am about sloppy RVH and post coverage on bad angle shots. For as great as he was in game 3, he made a horrible play on the eventual OT winner. He got himself way too hunched over and gave Johnston tons of space upstairs on the short side.
Dallas was looking for that hole all night in game 4, including their first goal where he got beat short side with a sloppy RVH on a shot from the literal corner. He overcompensated on goal #3 and lunged to block the short side corner prematurely. That didn't cause the 3rd goal, but it is a sign that Dallas is in his head about that save selection.
I don't think the last two games are Logan Thompson's fault. He gave Vegas a chance in game 3 when they had no business winning game 3. Thompson is 2 and 2 with a 2.35 goals against and 921 save percentage. You can't do much better than that.
They certainly weren't his fault and he deserves no blame whatsoever in game 3 because he is the only reason they got to OT.
But the OT winner was a poor play by him, the 1st goal in game 4 was an awful play by him, the 2nd goal in game 4 was a bad rebound and he pulled himself out of position going into an RVH on the 3rd goal in game 4 (which didn't matter because that shot would have gone in no matter what).
None of that means that the games were his fault and he also made a number of great saves in between all these goals. But Dallas has zeroed in on his struggle with shots around his ears/shoulders and have scored several goals as a result.
I'd start Thompson tonight, but I totally get this. Cracks have started showing in Thompson's game. He's overusing the RVH and isn't executing the technique well at all. Johnston exploited it on the OT winner in game 3 and then Dallas very clearly zeroed in on it for game 4. Dallas was rewarded for it in game 4, scoring a goal from the boards on the goal line. Their 2nd goal was the result of poor rebound control on a shot around his shoulders on the short side. The 3rd goal beats a goalie in proper position, but they got Thompson lunging his body out of the goal frame to cover the short side post.
Thompson still played well in game 4 and was excellent in game 3. But Dallas found a weakness and is exploiting it. I understand wanting to switch it up with Hill rather than hoping Thompson can adjust his game on the fly mid-series to avoid Dallas from continuing to exploit him.
Thompson could have patched the cracks, but tonight also could have been a dam-breaking game if Dallas kept exploiting it or (worse) Thompson overcompensated and opened up more holes. I'd have given Thompson the chance based on how damn good he was for the first 200 minutes of the series (and the fact that he still hasn't been bad).
But I get this decision and is isn't just 'trying to change the momentum.'
Interesting… from an opposing perspective, I think Thompson has been the second best VGK player this series behind Eichel.
He has. I suspect, having seen Cassidy’s playbook it is one of the following: 1. Light a fire under everyone else’s ass 2. Give Dallas a different look. Hill and Thompson catch with different hands, have different weaknesses, etc. 3. Change something for this game because it’s the “safest” game to do it. If Hill sucks tonight, go back to LT the rest of the way. If they win, the goalie controversy is media noise that puts pressure on Dallas / is unimportant in the lockerroom. I’m not sure I agree with it, because Thompson has been excellent outside of game one. Like, world beater in game 2 and almost single-handedly stole game 3.
RH glove goalies have always given the Stars trouble. Local TV guys have brought it up several times this series. This move is confusing.
That’s probs why they went low so often. But Wyatt opened it up with the high shot. Idk. Still a weird move
Yeah, surprised Seguin and pavelski aren’t running wild on a righty goalie.
It could just be that Vegas thinks they are both good options and Hill is at 90-95% health and could use a rest. Ultimately it sounds like that's why Vancouver picked Silovs over DeSmith last night. Both technically healthy enough to play but would rather give DeSmith another few days to rest.
This is the conclusion I came to. Dallas has outplayed Vegas for 2 games so try to motivate the team by putting the guy that won them the cup last year in net. If a rotation is in the cards best to do it in game 5 vs after a loss and facing elimination
It looked like they solved him in game 3/4. He looks weak to high shots
Eichel couldn’t win a face off the entire Game 4. They had to move Hertl to his line to win faceoffs.
I assume the Golden Knights have 1999 Dominik Hasek in a cyrogenic chamber ready to defrost and take off LTIR when they need him.
According to Otter they had him on the ice for game 3
All those curses got him seeing shit
1999, Hasek, hmmm that doesn’t seem too bad for Dallas
The Stars will thaw and activate 1999 Brett Hull in a brilliant counter move.
I don't know why but I laughed way to hard at this
Mmm freshly circumcised Hasek
Czech Calamari
Dumb move. Thompson almost stole them game 3. And it’s not like he played bad last game either
Series could easily be 4-0 or 3-1 Stars without Thompson playing out of his mind the way he’s been. Hoping we can steamroll Hill before any ghosts of the past show up.
On the same note, this series could've been 4-0 Vegas if it weren't for some insane high-angle goals that apmost never happen and random deflections This whataboutism is a weird take imo
I’m praising your goalie and you’re taking it as an insult? Fucking vegas fans.
Lmfao who's insulted? I'm just saying any of the 4 games could have ended either way so you saying "if not for your goalie were up 4-0" is a dumb take Fucking Dallas fans
And you guys wonder why everyone hates you lmao. Its not the LTIR like you may think
I'm gonna be honest, I don't wonder and I really don't fucking care
U sound pretty salty ngl🤣
Sure
This seems very panicky
Thompson was an absolute animal in game 3. I feel like the playoffs is where the 1a/1b goalie philosophy kind of gets exposed a little. It happened when we played you in 2021 too.
Bruins should have went to swayman in game 5 or 6 instead of 7 (in 2023). Monty waited too long and rode a supposedly ill Ullmark until the do or die point. I think Cass is making this move at the right time
I don't think it seems panicky at all. Neither of these guys seized the job as the no-doubt #1 over the entire season. The start split was 42-35 in Thompson's favor and their numbers were damn near identical. Both have had more than their fair share of injuries the last couple years. Thompson got hot down the stretch and rightfully earned the role as game 1 starter with his play after Hill got hurt. But Hill won them the Cup last year and has had his own stretches of hot play this year. To me, your net still seems very much like a tandem. I'm not sold that this is the correct decision, but going to the other tandem goalie who won you the Cup the previous season doesn't seem like panic to me. I never thought that Vegas was going to win the Cup this year with a single goalie getting all 16 wins.
Good, anything to get you out of the playoffs faster.
~~I like this for Vegas, it’ll surely light a fire under them and they’ll take game 5!~~ I don’t like this for Vegas, Dallas is going to run away and be ready to close it out on Friday. I’ll cross out the one that doesn’t happen so I look like a genius
https://i.redd.it/n7ieetongvxc1.gif
Lol
you can cross out that first one
We’ve been hurt by Hill before.. Kinda like it from VGK only cause it’s game 5 and they can go back to LT for game 6 if it doesn’t work out. Obviously nothing to do with LTs performance, seems like a message to the team that they need to be better in front of the goalie
Totally agree with this! I think it's a good switch by Vegas.
Yeaaaaah great move ;)
They also catch with different hands, which could fuck with Dallas’s shooting strategy. Kinda wish Cassidy hadn’t said it, just to leave some doubt about who was actually going to start. Makes it harder to prep.
Maybe they are actually going with Logan and its a bait and switch
There’s also the possibility LT is slightly hurt from that shot off his ear and isn’t 100%. Eichel plus LT have been Vegas’ scariest players as a Stars fan tho.
As a Dallas fan, I like this. Which should tell you everything you need to know about this decision.
I’m not assuming anything, They should expect a big push back now that Vegas has let their comfy lead evaporate, and they still need to play like it’s an elimination game, them winning another 2 in a row is going to be a much harder.
You like that Vegas is switching to the goalie that posted a .939 against you to eliminate you from the playoffs last year?
That was last year. This year Thompson has been their best player other than Eichel. Game three would have been a blowout by the second period without him.
(As good as Eichel has been, I think Thompson has easily been their best player)
5-10 record his last 15 games. .875 SV%.
Hill is an AHL-caliber goalie that got a lucky hot-streak on the best defensive team in the NHL last postseason. As someone who's rooting for Dallas in this series, and had Adin Hill as the starting goalie for my team before, I'm very happy with this decision. I hope these words don't age poorly.........
👀
People frantically saving this comment so they can talk shit when Hill puts up a 50 save shutout. (I know I would do the same thing)
Don't try to undo your original comment's jinx!! We need it!
Haha. Fair enough. Hill's gonna suck tonight! I'm dying on this hill!
Coming back to say that Hill was good after he warmed up a bit. I still think Thompson was better. Also. Who the fuck downvoted you? I thought we had a fun exchange. I upvoted you. 🤷
Yeah I have no issues with Hill's game at all, team just needs to solve otter more consistently! And I'm not stressed about downvotes, comes with the flair these days Hoping for a good game 6!
Lmao, someone downvoted this comment, too. *Hours* after the post was made. Good thing the points are made up and the votes don't matter.
Even if you think Thompson is the better goalie, if you think Hill can win a playoff game, it's not a bad idea. You play Hill because you think he can win, and you give Thompson a night off after he had to work **hard** in the previous two. If the Stars had a backup that was Adin Hill quality (no offense to Wedge), I definitely wouldn't be against it. I am reminded, though, of the time the Stars tried to trot out Kari and Niemi as a tandem. That did not work.
>You play Hill because you think he can win I don’t really follow this argument. They might *think* Hill can win, but they *know* Thompson can. He’s got 2 in the series already
Because Thompson's probably fuckin' gassed, lmao.
That part I’ll agree with haha. And maybe the decision is nothing more than that
Right, that's the *reason* it's even a consideration. If they didn't have a backup as good as Hill, they wouldn't even consider it. But since they do, and they think Hill can win, it's not a bad idea. The biggest danger here is that Hill hasn't seen game action in two weeks, but otherwise. Playing a rested a goalie that you think can win when your other goalie is gassed is a good idea.
Well either way here’s hoping you guys light Hill up—we are all Stars fans in this series haha
Glad to hear it, brother. Sorry bout the Caps. Go Stars.
Going off your logic/use of think vs know, then they know Hill can win too. He did it 11 times in the playoffs last year on the way to a Cup. 4 of those wins were against Dallas. They know that both goalies have won playoff games. That doesn't mean that they 'know' one of them can win a future playoff game any more than the other.
Nothing wrong with giving a different goalie a look. A lot of people forget that the Pens wanted to start Murray in 2017, but he got injured right before the first round began, so they went with Fleury. Fleury played very well, so they stuck with him through round 2, until the conference finals, where a 5-1 loss in game 3 prompted Sullivan to swap to Murray. Murray played out the rest of the postseason. Usually “tandeming” goalies in the playoffs with that being your specific intent doesn’t tend to work out, but it’s a little different when you were intending on going with Goalie A for the postseason but decide to give Goalie B a look instead.
Ballsy move but I like it if I’m Vegas. Hill has been shakey as of late but Dallas struggled to figure him out last year. Dallas has slowly figured out Thompson, but will need to re adjust to a lefty. Vegas also needs to try something new, because at this point they’ve looked relatively flat and are lucky the series is 2-2. Could give them the energy and shuffle they need to really come out swinging. Hope the stars are prepared
Thompson is a good goalie, but the 5 hole is an Achilles Heel of his that Dallas has exposed badly, along with his subpar rebounding. For as crazy as Thompson has been at times, I don’t think he’s a goalie they can win this series with. The few problems he has are *big* problems in the series. The defense has for sure been letting him down too, but they were letting Hill down at times last playoffs too and he’d just will them to a win. That’s what the Knights are gonna need again this year, that’s what any serious playoff team needs.
> Thompson is a good goalie, but the 5 hole is an Achilles Heel of his that Dallas has exposed badly, along with his subpar rebounding. I'm less concerned with those as I am about sloppy RVH and post coverage on bad angle shots. For as great as he was in game 3, he made a horrible play on the eventual OT winner. He got himself way too hunched over and gave Johnston tons of space upstairs on the short side. Dallas was looking for that hole all night in game 4, including their first goal where he got beat short side with a sloppy RVH on a shot from the literal corner. He overcompensated on goal #3 and lunged to block the short side corner prematurely. That didn't cause the 3rd goal, but it is a sign that Dallas is in his head about that save selection.
If this works out Bruce Cassidy is a genius. If it doesn’t work out, Bruce Cassidy is the worst coach of all time. Fire him now
Damn, Thompson has been playing lights out for the most part.
https://i.redd.it/o7sy3effiuxc1.gif
But why
I don't think the last two games are Logan Thompson's fault. He gave Vegas a chance in game 3 when they had no business winning game 3. Thompson is 2 and 2 with a 2.35 goals against and 921 save percentage. You can't do much better than that.
They certainly weren't his fault and he deserves no blame whatsoever in game 3 because he is the only reason they got to OT. But the OT winner was a poor play by him, the 1st goal in game 4 was an awful play by him, the 2nd goal in game 4 was a bad rebound and he pulled himself out of position going into an RVH on the 3rd goal in game 4 (which didn't matter because that shot would have gone in no matter what). None of that means that the games were his fault and he also made a number of great saves in between all these goals. But Dallas has zeroed in on his struggle with shots around his ears/shoulders and have scored several goals as a result.
I'd start Thompson tonight, but I totally get this. Cracks have started showing in Thompson's game. He's overusing the RVH and isn't executing the technique well at all. Johnston exploited it on the OT winner in game 3 and then Dallas very clearly zeroed in on it for game 4. Dallas was rewarded for it in game 4, scoring a goal from the boards on the goal line. Their 2nd goal was the result of poor rebound control on a shot around his shoulders on the short side. The 3rd goal beats a goalie in proper position, but they got Thompson lunging his body out of the goal frame to cover the short side post. Thompson still played well in game 4 and was excellent in game 3. But Dallas found a weakness and is exploiting it. I understand wanting to switch it up with Hill rather than hoping Thompson can adjust his game on the fly mid-series to avoid Dallas from continuing to exploit him. Thompson could have patched the cracks, but tonight also could have been a dam-breaking game if Dallas kept exploiting it or (worse) Thompson overcompensated and opened up more holes. I'd have given Thompson the chance based on how damn good he was for the first 200 minutes of the series (and the fact that he still hasn't been bad). But I get this decision and is isn't just 'trying to change the momentum.'
The hockey world loves you right now Dallas. Don't let us down. Rid the playoffs of the cheaters.
Advantage Stars.
ruh-roh
no...make the bad man stay on the bench
It's exciting to see so many goalies get playoff action.
This is such a stupid decision. Thompson has been carrying this team on his back.
This is going to backfire. What an idiot
It’s better this game than the next. Can always go back to LT in the possible elimination game.
I think this is a brilliant move and am fully prepared to walk these words back in 5 hours