Vegas Golden Knights first to advance, now face wait for next opponent
The Vegas Golden Knights are moving on.
After dropping Game 4 the Vegas Golden Knights eliminated the Chicago Blackhawks at the second time of asking after winning Game 5 4-3 on Tuesday.
It wasn’t plain sailing for the Golden Knights, however, as the determined Blackhawks jumped out to a two-goal lead in the first period thanks to Jonathan Toews and Alex DeBrincat.
Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone made it a tied game for Vegas before Patrick Kane struck again for the Hawks.
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Vegas was the more dominant team throughout this series, though, and that superior quality eventually took over after Alec Martinez levelled things up before Alex Tuch scored the game-winner early in the third period.
Robin Lehner made 23 saves from 26 shots and the Golden Knights are now officially the first team to advance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
So, what’s next?
Well, firstly, the Golden Knights will now have a chance to rest for a few days and catch their breath while they wait for their Round 2 opponents to be decided.
We all know Playoff hockey is a real grind and there’s going to be a lot of players in that Vegas locker room banged up, so a few days rest should paid dividends.
In terms of potential opponents, there’s a plethora of different ways this could go for the Knights.
As it stands, and keep in mind that the NHL will reseed after every round, the Golden Knights will play the lowest-remaining seed.
The list of teams Vegas could face is as follows:
- Arizona Coyotes
- Calgary Flames
- Vancouver Canucks
- St. Louis Blues
The Coyotes would be the lowest-remaining seed but are trailing 3-1 in their series to the juggernaut that is the Colorado Avalanche, so a matchup against the Flames is possible although they are down 3-2 in their series against the Dallas Stars.
If both the Coyotes and the Flames are eliminated, the Golden Knights would face the winner of the St. Louis – Vancouver series given that they can’t face the Stars or the Avalanche in the Second Round.
The Blues are the reigning Stanley Cup Champions and gave Vegas plenty of trouble during the regular-season, so that could be an early nightmare matchup for the Knights while the Canucks are loaded with young offensive talent and have given St. Louis everything they’ve got.
Whoever the Golden Knights face in Round 2, however, they are looking at around a week off due to where the other teams are at in their respective series.
It will probably be Monday or Tuesday until we see Vegas in action again, and such a break can be both a blessing and a curse.
It is a blessing because it will allow the Golden Knights the chance to heal, rest up and an extended break should be ideal for the likes of Max Pacioretty, Paul Stastny and Tomas Nosek to get back to full speed.
On the flip side, though, up to seven days off could stall any momentum the Knights built up in Round 1 so the coaching staff will have to put things in place to ensure that doesn’t happen.
Head Coach Peter DeBoer will need to keep his team engaged and focused, a task made harder by The Bubble environment.
This is a good group, however, and they seem hungry and determined when it comes to helping the franchise achieve their ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup.
Next. Golden Knights can't afford to get complacent against Hawks. dark
Overall, the Vegas Golden Knights held up their end of the bargain by eliminating the Chicago Blackhawks in a Gentleman’s Sweep, and now they wait to see what their next obstacle looks like.