Minutes prior to losing 4-3 in a shootout to the Chicago Blackhawks, a game they needed to win, the Dallas Stars gained a point by going to overtime in a 4-3 loss to the Arizona Coyotes to clinch the final berth from the Western Conference.
It was a tough pill to swallow for the Golden Knights, who despite injuries and late-season struggles were contenders to the end.
"Sure, I'm surprised," Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said. "I'm surprised, I'm disappointed, I'm at the front of the line for responsibility. There's a lot of expectations on this team. It's not an easy thing and it doesn't feel good for anybody right now."
The Golden Knights had qualified for the postseason in each of their first four seasons, including advancing to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season in 2017-18 before losing to the Washington Capitals in five games. They also advanced to the Western Conference Final in 2019-20, losing in five games to the Stars, and to the Stanley Cup Semifinals last season, losing to the Montreal Canadiens in six games.
"We believe in what we have on this team," Golden Knights forward Max Pacioretty said. "We've made two runs here the last two years, they made a run before I came (acquired in a trade with Montreal on Sept. 10, 2018), so three of the four years. We know we have what it takes in this room to win, but there's still no excuse for the position we're in right now."
The Golden Knights (42-31-8) had a chance to climb back in the playoff race but struggled down the stretch, losing five of their past six games, including the past three in a shootout. Vegas went 0-for-17 in its attempts in the three shootouts, most notably 0-for-7 in the 3-2 loss to Dallas on Tuesday night.
"I don't know how to explain that," DeBoer said of the shootout losses. "I feel bad for our goalie (Logan Thompson). I thought 'LT' did a great job in the shootouts, giving us a chance, and how do you explain that many good players don't find the net? I don't have an explanation for it."
Injuries were an ongoing problem for the Golden Knights this season.
Forward Mark Stone missed 26 games from Feb. 9-April 12 because of a back injury, Pacioretty has been injured several times this season, most recently missing 12 games from March 13-April 9 with an undisclosed injury, forward Reilly Smith hasn't played since March 8 (24 games) because of an undisclosed injury, and defenseman Alec Martinez missed 53 games because of a facial injury he sustained after being struck by the skate blade of Minnesota Wild forward Brandon Duhaime on Nov. 11.
The latest loss was goaltender Robin Lehner, who will have shoulder surgery for an injury he sustained in a 6-0 loss to the Calgary Flames on Feb. 9.
"I mean, I've never seen anything like it. It's crazy," Golden Knights forward Chandler Stephenson said of the injuries. "You look at our group and you wonder why we're not in. I know that's an excuse, but it is what it is. It's tough to win games when you have 10, 11 forwards some nights and you're missing your top guys for a lot of the time. We tried to do everything we could."
Despite the adversity, Vegas still expected to qualify for the playoffs for the fifth straight season.
"A lot's being said and made of the injuries we've had. At the same time, we've had such great depth, you expect to at least get into the playoffs with that adversity," Pacioretty said. "It's just a tough pill to swallow right now and it's going to take some time to digest. Right up to the end, I never lost hope in thinking we were going to make it. So that final blow is a tough one to take. We have a lot of time now for reflection and have to find ways to get better from it."
