Fansided

Vegas Golden Knights Will Play Winnipeg Jets In Western Conference Finals

By Richard Cardinale |
WINNIPEG, MB - FEBRUARY 1: Erik Haula #56 of the Vegas Golden Knights and Blake Wheeler #26 of the Winnipeg Jets keep an eye on the play during second period action at the Bell MTS Place on February 1, 2018 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Knights defeated the Jets 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images)
WINNIPEG, MB - FEBRUARY 1: Erik Haula #56 of the Vegas Golden Knights and Blake Wheeler #26 of the Winnipeg Jets keep an eye on the play during second period action at the Bell MTS Place on February 1, 2018 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Knights defeated the Jets 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Winnipeg Jets advance to the Western Conference Finals and will play the Vegas Golden Knights.

At long last, the Vegas Golden Knights finally found out their opponent in the Western Conference Finals. The Winnipeg Jets defeated the Nashville Predators in game seven by a score of 5-1. Interestingly enough, many sports media outlets had both Winnipeg and Vegas missing the playoffs at the beginning of the season.

Even if you told me the West would come down to the Jets and Golden Knights at the start of the season, I would’ve laughed in your face, but here we are. These two teams have been the biggest surprise stories in the NHL this season. Ironically, these two teams will clash for a chance to play in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Both teams have taken different paths to get where they are today. The Jets used to be the Atlanta Thrashers for 12 years before they moved to Winnipeg in 2011. Winnipeg never won a playoff series in their existence before this year.

Meanwhile, here are the Golden Knights in their inaugural season knocking on the door of a Stanley Cup Finals appearance. Friendly reminder that this team had no players at this time last year. And even if both sides took different roads to get here, the skill and speed are very similar on both rosters.

The Jets are an offensive powerhouse with an exceptional blue line front and a Vezina trophy candidate. Patrik Laine is one of the most dangerous players in the entire NHL. Blake Wheeler continues to be one of the best playmaking wingers in the game today.

But two players have really caught my eye when watching Winnipeg. One of them is playoff hero Mark Scheifele. In 12 postseason games, he has scored 11 goals, five assists, and 16 points. If there’s a forward that’s making a strong case for the Conn Smythe trophy; it’s Scheifele.

The other player that has come up huge for Winnipeg in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is Paul Stastny. He was the hero in game seven for the Jets scoring two goals while adding an assist. Stastny lit the lamp six times and tallied eight assists in 12 postseason games overall.

Needless to say Golden Knights Head Coach Gerard Gallant will have his hands full while game planning for Winnipeg. The Golden Knights have had a ton of time off to heal any wounds before another battle. And that’s why that makes game one so crucial for the Golden Knights.

Gallant will need his players to step it up another notch if they want to defeat the Winnipeg Jets. And that even goes for the Conn Smythe front-runner Marc-Andre Fleury. He will need to be sharp against an explosive Jets team.

The Golden Knights took the season series from Winnipeg two games to one. Both teams alternated with wins in their own buildings til Vegas won in OT in Winnipeg in the last game of the season series.  It should be noted that fourth-string goaltender Maxime Lagace started two of those games and went 1-1

Here’s the full schedule for the Western Conference Finals:

Western Conference Finals Schedule:

Saturday, May 12, 7 pm: Golden Knights @ Jets | NBC, TVA Sports

Monday, May 14, 8 pm: Golden Knights @ Jets | NBCSN, TVA Sports

Wednesday, May 16, 9 pm: Jets @ Golden Knights | NBCSN, TVA Sports

Friday, May 18, 8 pm: Jets @ Golden Knights | NBCSN, TVA Sports

*Sunday, May 20, 3 pm: Golden Knights @ Jets | NBC, TVA Sports

*Tuesday, May 22, 9 pm: Jets @ Golden Knights | NBCSN, TVA Sports

*Thursday, May 24, 8 pm: Golden Knights @ Jets | NBCSN, TVA Sports

* if necessary

Next: Vegas Golden Knights: Marc-Andre Fleury Front Runner For Conn Smythe Trophy

All in all, this will be a very entertaining series from start to finish. The Vegas Golden Knights will travel to Winnipeg tomorrow to start preparing for their toughest test of the season. Buckle up, Golden Knights fans, we’re in for a wild ride.

Home / Editorials