The Vegas Golden Knights found themselves at the top of the Pacific Division, a spot they have occupied in three of their six seasons since debuting in 2017-18. Despite employing five different goalies throughout the year, they managed to hold off the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche, and Dallas Stars for the top spot in the Western Conference.
Although the Golden Knights were not guaranteed first place, a position they earned in game 82, they wound up drawing the second wild card team, the Winnipeg Jets. Interestingly, the Jets clinched a playoff berth on the second to last day of the season after the Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators failed to earn much-needed wins to keep the race going.
Unfortunately, neither team has had much luck in the postseason recently, failing to qualify or getting eliminated early on. Since losing in the Stanley Cup Final in 2018, the Golden Knights have been fighting to get back, while the Jets are still looking for their first appearance.
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Vegas Golden Knights vs Winnipeg Jets series notes
After clinching a playoff spot, the Jets rested a handful of their best players, Pierre-Luc Debois, Josh Morrissey, Mark Scheifele, and Nate Schmidt in their final contests. Additionally, Nikolaj Ehlers, Sam Gagner, Cole Perfetti, and Kevin Stenlund are on the IR, all nursing various injuries.
Although the Golden Knights are in a different boat of having the luxury to rest players, they have been without their captain Mark Stone since January and rookie goalie Logan Thompson since March. Conversely, Stone has been back to practice recently and could eventually return to the team if they advance deep into the playoffs.
Even though the Golden Knights won the top seed in the conference, it didn’t come easily, and this series will not be a walk in the park. Realistically, these games could be high-scoring affairs since the Jets’ Scheifele collected 42 goals. With Kyle Connor adding another 31, the duo will have a chance to feast on untested goalies.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Marchessault had 28, and Jack Eichel finished with 27, leading Vegas to the 14th most goals in the league. However, they have the daunting task of getting pucks past Connor Hellebuyck.
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Key Golden Knights & Jets matchups
Right now, Laurent Brossoit will likely start the series in the Vegas net, edging out backup and two-time Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Quick for the job. As mentioned, he has no Stanley Cup playoff experience, suiting up for just 27:08 minutes of action in 2017.
If he falters and Thompson isn’t ready to return, Quick waits for his chance to turn back the clock and save the day. At the tail end of his career, the 37-year-old is in the final year of his contract and was traded away from the Kings in a shocking move at the deadline, ending his 16-year run with the team. Now with a chip on his shoulder, he’s waiting for the opportunity to prove he still has some magic in the bottle.
Outside of goaltending and injuries, most of the eyes will be on Eichel, who is about to make his Stanley Cup playoff debut. As the second-overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft continues to build his legacy, he’ll be out to prove that he can handle the pressure and contribute on the game’s biggest stage.
Regarding the Jets, a few players like Scheifele and Connor will be out to exorcise their past playoff performances, with little to no points to show over the last three postseason appearances. Despite being team leaders during the regular season, their offensive numbers fade when the games get tighter, putting more pressure on Hellebuyck to bail the team out.
Speaking of Hellebuyck, he’s slowly turning into this generation’s Henrik Lundqvist, a magnificent goalie during the regular season. Yet, he can never get his team to win the big ones during the playoffs. Right now, the American-born netminder is 16-19 in the postseason, which is quite the opposite of the 238-154-37 record in the regular season.
One of these years, he’s either going to carry his team to the championship or end up going into the HHOF without a ring, something another Canadian legend, Carey Price, is all too familiar with.
History of Golden Knights vs. Jets
According to statistics from Hockey-Reference.com, the Golden Knights and Jets have played 14 regular season contests, with Winnipeg leading 8-4-2. Additionally, the Jets lead on the scoreboard by a margin of 53-44, good enough for 3.79 goals per game and 3.14 goals against per game.
These two teams have met once in the postseason, during the 2017-18 Western Conference Final, where the Golden Knights eliminated the Jets in five games to advance to the Stanley Cup Final. Despite winning Game 1 by a score of 4-2, the Jets lost four straight, getting outscored 12-6.
Interestingly, the Golden Knights have had little to no success at Canada Life Center in Winnipeg, with a 2-5 record, and have yet to fare any better at T-Mobile Arena, where the Jets enjoy a 3-3-1 record. Moreover, as the higher seed, the Golden Knights earned home-ice advantage for the series, hosting Games 1 and 2, with the possibility of Game 5 and Game 7, if need be.
Golden Knights v. Jets prediction: Golden Knights in 6
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