1. Best: Game 7 versus Minnesota Wild
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Let’s start with the Las Vegas Golden Knights’ only Game Seven win of the postseason and one of their dominant showings in the playoffs. Things started out dead even with the Minnesota Wild and the Knights both scoring in the first period, but things would be much different when the second period got underway. In fact, the Golden Knights managed back-to-back goals delivered by Max Pacioretty and Zach Whitecloud in the second period of the game.
Things only got better from there as the Golden Knights would leave the Wild scoreless in the 3rd period, and Mattias Janmark would even go on to score back-to-back goals to seal the deal. If nothing else, this game showed the grit that the Las Vegas Golden Knights brought to the table and just how hard they were willing to fight to get back to the NHL Stanley Cup Final.
2. Worst: Game 1 against the Minnesota Wild
The opening game of the playoffs is all about setting the pace for the rest of the post-season, and the Las Vegas Golden Knights did not come out firing on all cylinders. Unfortunately for the franchise, they were subjected to a 1-0 shutout against the Minnesota Wild, who managed to get a goal past Marc Andre Fleury for the victory. The lone goal was scored by Joel Ericksson and had to be one of the worst momentum killers in playoff history. The Golden Knights just looked like a bunch of chumps here.
3. Best: Coming back from a 0-2 deficit to win 4 straight games
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It’s no secret that coming back from a 0-2 deficit to win the series is a difficult thing to do, which is why watching the Las Vegas Golden Knights pull it off was a miracle. It all started with a 3-2 victory in Game 3, where Jonathon Marchessault, Alec Martinez, and Max Pacioretty all contributed a goal during the game. The Knights then went on to win Game 4 by a score of 5-1 to tie the series. A lot of this victory had to do with Marc-Andre Fleury, who saved 18 of the 19 pucks sent his way.
The Golden Knights then went on to win the last two games of the series to topple the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in what had to be one of the best rounds in playoff history. Sure, the season didn’t turn out the way everyone wanted it to, but you’ve gotta have some faith in the future with what was shown during this series. It was just something otherworldly.
4. Worst: Graves and Reaves fight in game 1 against Colorado
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Some things in hockey are downright ugly- and that’s how we could describe the Game 1 matchup between the Las Vegas Golden Knights and the Colorado Avalanche. Not only was that due to a blatant cheap shot to Mattias Janmark in the second period, but also due to Ryan Reaves taking issue with the incident and decided to take matters into his own hands. This resulted in Ryan Reaves going after Ryan Graves after a play in the 3rd, which resulted in Reaves hitting Graves in the back of the head. Reaves then forced Graves to the ground and pulled out his hair.
This earned Reaves a suspension for Game 2 against the Avalanche and left the team without one of their star players. The Knights ended up losing the second game 3-2. While many would see this as the beginning of the end for the Knights, they would go on to pull off one of the best comebacks in playoff history.
5. Best: Winning the opening game of the semi finals
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The Las Vegas Golden Knights needed to make a statement in Game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens and did just that by defeating them 4-1 to take a one-game lead. Marc -Andre Fleury ended up blocking 28 of 29 shots that night, allowing the Knights a firm offensive cushion to keep them ahead for the entire game.
6. Worst: Losing back-to-back games against the Canadiens
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It had to end somewhere and while some fans probably thought it would be with the Stanley Cup trophy firmly grasped in their hands, the Golden Knights didn’t get to experience that happy ending. In fact, despite tying up the series in Game 4 with a 2-1 victory, they would they go on to lose back-to-back games and ultimately the series to the Canadiens. Whether it was the Golden Knights’ inability to capitalize on power-play points, or Marc-Andre Fleury collapsing under immense stress, the series ended exactly where it did last year, with the Golden Knights getting creamed in the Semifinals.
