In a wild, stunning turn of events, hockey fans saw the Vegas Golden Knights stun Colorado in the NHL playoffs. Honestly, who in the world saw this coming? The Avalanche were considered monster favorites to not only beat Vegas in this series, but also go on to potentially win the NHL Stanley Cup. That’s no longer the case, though, as Vegas appears to be in the driver’s seat.
You’ve got to give props where it’s due, as Vegas was downright impressive in their series with the Avalanche. Colorado opened things up with a 7-1 victory in Game 1. As soon as this happened, everyone basically assumed that the Avalanche would go on and cruise to an easy NHL playoffs series victory over the Golden Knights. Vegas had other ideas, however.
Despite Colorado winning Game 2, Vegas bounced back and captured a 3-2 victory in Game 3. Then in Game 4, the Golden Knights followed things up with an impressive 5-1 win. Once the series was even at 2-2, Golden Knights fans began to have some serious hope. Things were then sent into overdrive when Mark Stone gave them a 3-2 win in Game 5 for a thrilling overtime win. No one will forget this goal.
With Vegas taking a 3-2 lead, and winning three consecutive games, you could feel like a knockout punch in this series was about to come from the team from Sin City. That sure came in Game 6, with Vegas having no problems and winning that matchup 6-3. Six different players scored for the Golden Knights in that series-clinching victory, making things even sweeter.
Now, the Golden Knights have officially knocked out the top dogs from the Stanley Cup playoffs. You better believe that their confidence is riding high right now. No one outside of Vegas figured the Golden Knights would be able to get the job done, especially after they lost the first two games of the series. Well, they went on to win four straight and are looking like the best team in the league.
Believe it or not, Vegas is now the favorite to win the NHL Stanley Cup. This wasn’t the case a week ago, but things have most definitely changed now that they’ve knocked out Colorado from the postseason. For Vegas, their confidence is no question through the roof. They have been given the top chances by the Las Vegas sportsbooks with their +125 odds.
Tampa Bay isn’t too far behind at +145, while the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens have been placed at +600 and +1100, respectively. On paper, it’d look like things would be set up for a final between Vegas and Tampa Bay. If this were to be the case, then it would most definitely make for an exciting matchup for the Stanley Cup title. Having said that, Vegas will be ready for what’s about to come.
“It’s the identity of this team – our depth,” Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said after the Game 6 win. “Guys have sat out and then come back into the lineup. We’ve had so many contributions from so many guys. How the guys have handled when they’re out, and then their ability to hop back in and make a difference for us, it’s been critical. You don’t beat a team like Colorado without that.”
With so much depth featured on this Vegas team, it really makes them dangerous. It’s one thing if a squad has one or two superstars powering things. Yet, if you have a steady arsenal of players ready to make a difference on the ice, it’s huge for a team dreaming of winning the Stanley Cup. This is exactly the case for DeBoer and the rest of his Vegas coaching staff.
Starting this week, Vegas will hope to take down Montreal to get to the Stanley Cup Finals. Game 1 is all set for Monday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Having that home-ice advantage will be crucial for the Golden Knights, as they’re looking to start the series off with a bang. The first two games will be in Vegas, while Game 3 and Game 4 will then move to Montreal.
For the Golden Knights, the expectation is that they’ll be able to capture the first two games of the series in dominant fashion. We also wouldn’t be surprised if Vegas were to sweep this series 4-0. That’s how great they looked to close things out against Colorado. If they do get past Montreal, which everyone assumes will happen, they’d then move on to play in the Stanley Cup Finals.
In the Finals, they’d take on the winner of the series between Tampa Bay and New York. In that one, the Lightning are big-time favorites to advance. We’d certainly love to see Vegas vs. Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup Finals, with the Golden Knights hoping to win the championship for the first time in their short team history. Only time will tell if they’ll lift the cup up high into the sky down the road.
