For the second time in their very short history, the Vegas Golden Knights are going to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Bruce Cassidy’s men curtly sent the Stars on vacation, beating them 6-0 Monday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Vegas won the Western Conference Finals 4-2.
The Knights meet the Florida Panthers in the Finals, starting Saturday. Both teams will be aiming for a first Stanley Cup, on their second visit to the Finals. The difference being that the former emerged under current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the latter during the short-lived reign of Kim Campbell.
For this return to the final, the Knights have been propelled by those who participated in the unexpected course of the first spring, that of 2018. William Carrier opened the scoring, his Swedish namesake Karlsson scored twice, Jonathan Marchessault also hit the target, while Shea Theodore, even cleared, was all attacks.
Vegas has six survivors who were there full-time in their inaugural season (Reilly Smith and Brayden McNabb are the other two), a stability rarely seen in the NHL. They’ve certainly added superior talent to those six since – namely Mark Stone, Jack Eichel and Alex Pietrangelo – but the unfolding of that decisive victory underlined in broad strokes the importance of the original parts.
This nucleus also has a whole track record, in the absence of a championship ring. In addition to its two appearances in the final, Vegas stopped in the conference final on two other occasions. We guess that somewhere in Seattle, after a promising spring, a team owner wants to get as much for his money as Bill Foley…
You will have understood by the final score that the Stars did not exactly play with the proverbial energy of despair. After postponing elimination twice, theoretically galvanized by the return to play of Jamie Benn after his suspension for a bubble in the brain, all in front of their fans, the Stars landed with the wind in their sails.
The problem is that on the other side, head coach Bruce Cassidy designated his fourth line to start the game and the energy created by this unit visibly undermined that of the Texans. His instinct did not betray him.
Carrier, Nicolas Roy and Keegan Kolesar concluded this first appearance with three hits and three shot attempts. We were talking about the additions made by the Knights since their arrival in the NHL, and that of Cassidy cannot be ignored. Stanley Cup finalist in 2019, winner of the Jack-Adams in 2020, he is only missing the big trophy.
Whatever one thinks of this troubling performance by the Stars, their future remains bright. Young stalwarts Jason Robertson and Jake Oettinger were on their first long run in the playoffs, while Finns Miro Heiskanen and Roope Hintz are coming of age. The core is concrete.
However, it will be interesting to see how the leadership transition unfolds. On his return, Benn, the captain, turned into a draft, he who nevertheless owed one to his teammates after his disappointment in Game 3 (and his subsequent suspension).
Ryan Suter, meanwhile, hasn’t played like the eminence grise of this defense he’s supposed to be, delivering soft play at the time of year when you have to suffer to win. His penalty in the second period, when the Stars still had a chance to get back in the game (at 3-0), stopped dead in their tracks the only streak in which they offered real opposition to the Golden Knights.
After the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes, it will now be the Golden Knights’ turn to try to stop the incredible Matthew Tkachuk. He and his teammates, resting since May 24, will soon have to find their legs.
However, the Knights arrive in the final with a goalkeeper with a particular profile. This is about Adin Hill, 27, a career reserve who has never played more than 27 games in a season. Hill was spared in Game 6 against a reluctant Stars, but it’s important to remember that he stood up to the intimidating Edmonton Oilers offense in the previous round.
This final will also be the perfect opportunity to test the biggest theories on superstitions, since the Knights, unlike the Panthers, did not dare to touch the trophy awarded to the association champions. Rich content for your favorite scientific conference.
Relegated to the fourth line, he responded with aplomb. Bruce Cassidy showed his gratitude to this unit by sending him on the power play late in the game.
He ends in fishtail what was however a season of rebirth for him.
This is the record of teams abroad since the start of the playoffs. The record for the most wins on the road in a year is 47. The home rink advantage is aptly misnamed in the spring of 2023.
