When the NHL announced plans for a new team in Las Vegas, fans all over the hockey community were a bit hesitant at how well they’d perform after receiving players from the expansion draft. Well, the Sin City based team is truly shocking everyone by not just having one of the best records by a team in it’s inaugural season, but by proving that a new club can compete with the rest of the league as well.
Led by head coach Gerard Gallant and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, the boys in gold and black are making some serious headlines, but in the best way possible. The team finished the regular season with a 51-24-7 record, good enough for first place in the Pacific division and third overall in the Western Conference. William Karlsson, formerly of the Columbus Blue Jackets, had an incredible season for his new team, playing ALL eighty-two games with forty-three goals and thirty-five assists!
The team, after displaying skill and grit, made the playoffs in their first year. Vegas faced off against Jeff Carter and the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the team, once again, shocked everyone by doing something no one really saw coming. In a stunning upset, the Golden Knights SWEPT the Kings right out of the playoffs to advance to the second round.
The Knights are now awaiting their second round opponent between the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks. This Vegas team is making headway for all the right reasons and they could possibly be the first expansion team in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup in their inaugural season. Whatever happens, this team is fun to watch, and you can’t take that away from them.
