Golden Knights Look to Repeat, but Face a Bumpy Road

Well...they're in.

The Vegas Golden Knights are in the playoffs, but it wasn't an easy road. Despite an 11-0-1 start to the season, the Knights fell off the rest of the way, and it looked like that the defending champs wouldn't be back in the playoffs. However, Vegas did manage to get back in the thick of things and move back above the playoff line, and they would enter this day with a chance to stay up there for good. They got some help from the Carolina Hurricanes, who won 5-2 over the St. Louis Blues, meaning that Vegas could get in with a win of any kind. Boy, did they get it: a 7-2 win over the decaying Minnesota Wild.

So yeah, Vegas took the Western Conference's last remaining playoff spot, but a lot of fans aren't thrilled. They exploited that LTIR crap again, with Mark Stone being on it until just over a week before the playoffs start. Regardless, Vegas is in, and you know that thing they did in the end of the 2023 playoffs? Yeah, they want to do it again.

Jonathan Marchessault not only captured the Stanley Cup last year, he would capture the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of last year's playoffs. Marchessault, one of the few players left on the team from the inaugural season, scored 13 goals during Vegas' run to their first Stanley Cup, and as for this year, he has only 68 points, but that's enough to lead the team. Even more amazing, 42 of those points went in the net. Right behind the Conn Smythe winner in points is Jack Eichel with 65 points in 60 games, with 30 of them being goals. William Karlsson is third with 57 points (28 G/29 A), and in fourth place on the team: the aforementioned Mark Stone. Stone, who had a Hat Trick in the Cup clinching Game Five, had 53 points in 56 games prior to the LTIR placement.

This season is the seventh for the Vegas Golden Knights. I know seven is a bit of a sacred lucky number in Las Vegas, but at least Year Seven comes after a very prosperous Year Six. This is their sixth playoff appearance in their brief existence. We all know the history. Cup Final appearance in Year One. Blew a 3-1 series lead in infamous fashion in Year Two. Years Three and Four ended with third round exits, and of course, Year Five saw no playoffs. And then there's Year Six--the revenge year. They heard our laughter over them missing the playoffs and took it very personally, so they decided to destroy everybody and take the throne. Year Seven is their chance at an encore. However, the season they've had was quite bumpy. A great start followed by a decline, only to end up doing just enough winning to stay afloat.

So in the Western Conference, that's that. The eight teams are in. All that's left to decide is positioning and the matchups. Overall, there's still the Eastern Conference Wild Card situation, as well as who will finish as the #3 team in each of the East's two divisions. As for Vegas, they still have a chance to finish in third place in the Pacific Division. It's between them and the Los Angeles Kings, and at the moment, Vegas is one point behind LA in the standings. Third place means facing the second place team in the Pacific, with the Edmonton Oilers being the more likely team in that position. The Golden Knights face possibly being in the WC2 position, which would pit them against the #1 team in the West, a tough hill to climb, but other teams have climbed it. Will the Golden Knights do so if they end up as the West's second Wild Card? Stranger things have happened in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Just ask the team Vegas beat in last year's Final.

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