LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — TINA NGUYEN: Well, right now it is great to be joined by the man himself, former Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Englland. Thanks for joining us in-studio today.
DERYK ENGELLAND: Thanks for having me.
NGUYEN: All right. So Deryk, 46 wins, 98 points, only nine games left in the regular season. The Golden Knights are coming off of a three-game road sweep that saw them win against division rivals. Bruce Cassidy has got this team kind of clicking on all cylinders right now. What is he establishing here in Las Vegas?
ENGELLAND: I think the way they played defensively, that's a staple of his style of play. With the goalies, I think it's helped them, having two young boys and more goalies since the All-Star break. But since the All-Star break, guys are stepping up. Jack Eichel, I think, has raised his game to another level and that's one thing that excites me come playoff time.
NGUYEN: Five different starting goalies since the All-Star break. First off, how crazy is that?
ENGELLAND: Yeah. For the first three quarters of the season, they were relatively healthy and doing a great job, Logan and Hill. Since then, it's been a little bit of a carousel ride. They bring it in Quick. At the time, it was more insurance but it's really paying off now. He's stepped up and brings that veteran presence, that leadership. He's been through it all before so he knows how to elevate his level for the postseason and going into the postseason. The goaltending has been phenomenal. Braswell coming in last game played great. So whoever's going in there is stepping up and making a big difference.
NGUYEN: Lastly Derek, tomorrow night the Golden Knights play the Edmonton Oilers. It's a bit of a must win for Vegas. They do have a chance to clinch a spot in the playoffs. What do they need to do to make this five straight wins?
ENGELLAND: They've just got to maintain McDavid and Drysdale. You know that team fires on all cylinders, off those two players. They've obviously got some other good players on that team but they're the engine behind them. If they can minimize their chances, they're going to give themselves a good opportunity to win the game.
NGUYEN: How tough is it to beat a team twice?
ENGELLAND: I think, especially back-to-back, it's extremely, extremely tough. That team, they've won. They've been in the postseason before so they're probably going to have a little bit of a sour taste in their mouth from losing at home. You come home to The Fortress and have the crowd behind you, it's going to be a big game, playoff atmosphere, and it's going to be an easy one to get up for.
NGUYEN: Derek, do you miss being out there?
ENGELLAND: I know my body feels pretty good being off the ice but this time of year, probably a little more than the beginning of the year. This is the time of year that really excites all the players. This is what you play for all year so it's a it's a good time of year to be playing.
NGUYEN: All right. Well there you have it. Deryk Englland, thanks so much for joining us. The Golden Knights look to make it five straight wins tomorrow.