Vegas Golden Knights Hit Jackpot And Sweep The Los Angeles Kings

The Vegas Golden Knights become the first team ever to sweep playoff series in an inaugural season.

With a sweep in mind, the Vegas Golden Knights knew they had to put forth their best effort to defeat the Los Angeles Kings in game four. Golden Knights Head Coach Gerard Gallant’s mindset all year long was focusing on the next game. Those words couldn’t prove to be more accurate.

The Kings did not make any changes to their lineup in game four. Los Angeles still wanted to get more shots on net and continue to impose their will physically. Naturally, Jonathan Quick receives his fourth straight start after once again stealing the show for LA in game three.

As for the Golden Knights, they also did not make any changes to their lineup ahead of game four. Tomas Tatar remains a healthy scratch after playing the first two games in this series. Marc-Andre Fleury gets the call once more for Vegas as the team goes for a sweep of the Kings.

It was no surprise that the Kings were going to come out flying in the first period. They pinned the expansion team in the defensive zone for several minutes. It may have been one of the worst starts to a game all year long for the Golden Knights.

Fleury looked strong as ever as he went 14 for 14 in save opportunities. Additionally, the number of crucial stops from in close came in high-pressure situations. The Golden Knights ended up getting a power play, and even though they didn’t score on the man advantage, they ended up slowing the Kings momentum just a bit.

The Golden Knights somehow survived the Kings onslaught and brought a scoreless tie into the second period. The shot total was 14-8 in favor of the Kings, but it felt even more lopsided. It’s unbelievable how lucky the Golden Knights were to be in that position as they went into the middle frame. Fortunately, the second period went a lot better for Vegas than the first period did.

Much better tempo from the Golden Knights as they began the second period. They didn’t allow the Kings to get physical and control the pace of play. Ironically, when the Kings got their first great scoring chance in the middle frame, it went the other way, and the first goal was scored.

William Karlsson skated the puck in from the neutral zone and dropped it back to Reilly Smith. Smith found a wide-open Brayden McNabb pinching into the rush who blasted one past Quick for his first career playoff goal to give Vegas a 1-0 lead. The former King comes back to haunt his old team. Scoring from unlikely sources has been the theme of this series for the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Golden Knights then had to kill off a massive James Neal slashing minor midway through the second. Los Angeles got some excellent puck movement, but Vegas didn’t leave them much room to shoot. And whenever the Kings did get a shot on goal, it either deflected wide, or Fleury made a huge save.

The shots were even in the second period at 7-7, but the Golden Knights got the lone tally on the scoreboard. You had to expect LA to give their best effort going into the third period with their backs against the wall. And that’s precisely what they set out to do.

In the final frame of regulation, the Golden Knights actually came out strong. Karlsson came out with a grade-A chance to start the last 20, but Quick was up to the task. Vegas came out and controlled the first six to seven minutes of play.

When we reached halfway through the period, the Kings started to find urgency. Anze Kopitar walked in all by himself with no Golden Knights player challenging him, and Marc-Andre Fleury made the best stop of the game. Larceny and highway robbery put together:

The Golden Knights took a tough penalty late in the third period as Smith tripped Dustin Brown. But there was no panic in these Golden Knights. They killed off the penalty with ease, as Tomas Nosek cleared the puck three times in the first 70 seconds of the PK. Vegas didn’t allow a shot on goal during the Kings power play.

The Golden Knights continued to suffocate the Kings and their offensive attack. The Kings had no choice but to keep using their top players like Drew Doughty, Jeff Carter, and Kopitar. And as time wore on, they grew more tired.

The Golden Knights had a late scare as Brown had a wide open chance, but the shot grazed off of Fleury’s glove. Time expired on the Kings as they lost the final faceoff of the game and the Golden Knights once again make history. The Vegas Golden Knights become the first team ever to sweep a playoff series in their inaugural season.

This series could’ve easily gone the other way. Every game in this series was decided by one goal. That’s how close these two teams were. This rivalry will mean even more as their history builds and years pass.

And let’s take a second and think what’s going through the mind of McNabb right now. The LA Kings didn’t believe in his defensive ability and left him exposed in the expansion draft. The Davidson, Saskatchewan native then comes back to the Staples Center ten months later and sticks it to his old team by scoring the series-winning goal for the Golden Knights. What a moment for the 27-year old veteran.

Vegas Hockey Knight’s Three Stars Of The Game:

3rd Star) Jonathan Quick- 20 saves on 21 shots and one goal allowed.

2nd Star) Brayden McNabb- Game-winning goal, +1, one shot on goal and 23:36 TOI.

1st Star) Marc-Andre Fleury- 31 saves on 31 shots, 2nd shutout of the playoffs.

Next: Vegas Golden Knights Stun Kings And Take 3-0 Series Lead

All in all, the Vegas Golden Knights played this series perfectly. But you have to give credit where credit is due; LA played a great series. Now that this series is over, the Golden Knights can rest, focus and get ready for round two against either the Anaheim Ducks or San Jose Sharks.