Can you believe that the regular season is over for the Vegas Golden Knights? The "Evil Empire" needed a kick in the pants to wake up, unleashing their talents and earning home-ice advantage for the first round. Now? It's time to focus on the Stanley Cup playoffs, where the goal is to... score goals.
Obviously, you want to win the Stanley Cup, too. However, the premise is that Vegas must dominate and continue its momentum into the playoffs. That means elevating your play and stepping up when called upon.
The good news? No more shootouts. You don't have to worry about relying on goaltending to carry you through the hockey version of a home run derby. The bad news? The remaining teams are the best.
But let's focus on the regular season and see how each group did. What stood out for the groups? Who were the shining stars for the Golden Knights in each group? It's time to turn the tests back in because we're handing out grades.
Golden Knights forward group
This season has seen the Golden Knights' forward group flourish in many ways. That includes Pavel Dorofeyev, who's broken the record for the most single-season power play goals. That also included Mitch Marner, who set the single-season record for the most points by a Golden Knight in his first season.
While there have been minor hiccups, such as a dry spell for lower-line scoring, the unit has been unleashed under John Tortorella. That's great news for a club looking to shake the cobwebs off the early-season slump.
Defensemen
This is a complicated grade. On one hand, you've seen the group stagnate in terms of offense. It took Rasmus Andersson getting more minutes to unleash his scoring, while the rest of the group stagnated.
On the other hand, players like Shea Theodore have improved defensively. That had added more weight to the Golden Knights' top pair, making them one of the league's best shutdown groups. That has become apparent later in the season, where the goaltending has gotten a healthy dose of help from Theodore and company.
Goaltenders
Oof, where do I begin... This has been the most troublesome group for the Golden Knights this season. Aside from no single netminder having a save percentage over .900, the group has seen its original starter, Adin Hill, fall off a cliff.
On top of that, it took Carter Hart a little bit to get going. The good news? The group is starting to turn it around. However, that doesn't absolve a ton of errors set forth by the group.
Special teams
I don't believe there's been an instance where the Golden Knights' special teams has been this dominant. When you have a Top Ten unit for both sides, that bodes well for what you can do in the postseason.
That's especially true when you employ solid exits and winning face-offs to the system. That's where players like Nic Dowd and Colton Sissons came in, adding more bite to the penalty kill. As for the power play? Well, the usual suspects were reigning supreme.
Overall grade
The best parts of this team have been the offensive parts. Players like Marner and Mark Stone have stepped up dramatically, turning the Golden Knights into an absolute wagon. If that momentum carries over into the postseason, there's no telling how much damage that Vegas will do.
However, I'd love to see the goaltending carry over its momentum to the postseason as well. After tons of question marks about the group, the Golden Knights must avoid getting into barnburners. Otherwise, they'll exhaust themselves and end up on the losing side.
People are high on the Vegas Golden Knights, thanks to John Tortorella's work. They believe the team can carry over its momentum into the playoffs, going as far as winning the Stanley Cup. But doing that requires the goaltending and the back end to step up. Otherwise, it'll be a massive case of what could've been.
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