Optimism and confidence abound after the Golden Knights won 13 of their first 15 games (13-2-0).
But doubt and worry crept in at midseason as injuries took their toll on Vegas, which sat atop the Pacific Division. Rookie goalie Logan Thompson, backup goalie Adin Hill and captain Mark Stone, who had returned from a back injury, all were out for extended periods because of injuries.
“I thought everything was going pretty smooth,” Thompson said. “I had the surgery last summer. It was Jan. 12 against Florida, went to make a play and shooting pain went through my back again.”
The doubts faded as the Golden Knights’ depth took over, aided by the late season additions of forwards Teddy Blueger and Ivan Barbashev and goalie Jonathan Quick, who helped Vegas win 22 of its final 31 regular-season games (22-4-5) and earn the top seed in the Western Conference for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Golden Knights were riding high, buoyed by the return of Stone for their Western Conference First Round series against the Winnipeg Jets, but the forward was uncertain about how he would perform.
“I hadn’t played in forever, so I was very nervous,” said Stone, who missed the final 39 regular-season games. “I hadn’t really taken a ton of contact. I think the team was nervous.”
Vegas lost the opener 5-1.
“I dropped a big one, I mean I was terrible that game, I didn’t play good,” said forward Jack Eichel, who made his playoff debut after seven NHL seasons.
Stone talks about the Golden Knights' rebound in Game 2, a 5-2 win fueled by his two goals.
“When you score, you see how happy everybody is, your teammates [are] happy for you,” Stone said. “It meant a lot. … It gave me confidence and comfortability that I was back. To be able to do that and finally feel part of the group again meant a lot to me.”
After eliminating Winnipeg in five games, Vegas faced the Edmonton Oilers, determined to beat Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the top two scorers in the NHL, “by committee,” Cassidy said.
“We had to be disciplined because I’ve never seen anything like it,” Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault said. “We knew it would be the toughest one that we had.”
The Golden Knights went on to defeat Edmonton in six games, but lost goalie Laurent Brossoit to injury in Game 3.
“It stung, right?” Stone said. “He played in the minors, never complained, just went about his business. Came up, gave us unbelievable starts and kind of became that guy. To see him go down was hard.”
Cassidy had no worries in going back to Hill, who had returned from his injury.
“I’ve always liked big moments," Hill said. "I like playing against good teams, good players. It’s more fun playing in those games. I don’t think it matters who you’re playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. You’re going out there to play to win.”
Vegas rode Hill through their six-game win against the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final, capped by a 6-0 win in Game 6.
The win earned the Golden Knights the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl as Western Conference champions. The players bucked superstition and touched the trophy when they won it in 2018.
“It didn’t work out the last time we touched it,” Marchessault said. “So I was, like, ‘Maybe shouldn’t touch that one, you know? Focus on the next one.’”
Vegas decides to focus on the Cup and the physical Florida Panthers, who steamrolled their way to the Final as the second wild card from the Eastern Conference.
“Everybody was talking about how well they were playing, and no one was talking about how well we were playing,” Stone said. “That was good for us.”
The Golden Knights defeated the Panthers in five games, punctuated by a 9-3 Game 5 win. They hoisted the Cup, making good on Foley’s six-year timeline, and Marchessault won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
The party was on in Vegas.
“That was a pretty crazy moment,” Eichel said. “Who would have ever thought there would be a Stanley Cup parade down the Las Vegas Strip?”
