You hate to see it. You hate seeing your bitter rivals celebrating on your home ice after they advanced to the Western Conference Final. Yet, that's what happened with the Vegas Golden Knights as they watched the Edmonton Oilers celebrate at T-Mobile Arena last season.
It was a rough watch for Golden Knights fans everywhere. You feel embarrassment and shame, watching your team get molly-wopped by your rivals. On top of that, your rivals have bragging rights for a minimum of a year. Boy, that's enough to keep you up at night.
Believe me. Those sleepless nights will do a number on you as a passionate hockey fan. It's never fun.
So, what's a team to do in response? Well, you sign the acquire the best free agent on the market and ink him to an eight-year, $12 million AAV deal. Now, you have two players heading into their primes on the top line, ready to take over the NHL. How did the Oilers respond in kind?
Well... They extended Trent Frederic and let Evander Kane and Corey Perry leave town. On top of that, Andrew Mangiapane comes along for the ride and gives Edmonton another two-way player. But will that be enough to get one up on their rivals? Or does Vegas have enough to exact their revenge and get the Stanley Cup back?
How the Vegas Golden Knights can beat the Edmonton Oilers this season
Two X-factors come to mind regarding the matchups between the Golden Knights and the Oilers. The first one is William Karlsson, who's great at neutralizing the NHL's best stars. That includes Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, who combined for three goals in the second round series.
Sure, that seems like plenty of goals to a mere mortal. But these are the two best players in the NHL. Karlsson was effective in neutralizing the duo by steering them from the middle of the ice. Pushing them along the boards took away space, leaving them without many scoring opportunities.
Another X-factor is Adin Hill. Let's go back to December 3 at T-Mobile Arena when the two teams faced off. What happens when your team only has one goal in the entire game? Do you crack under the pressure or do you handle it with the utmost composure?
Well, Hill did the latter by stopping all 28 shots on goal, en route to a 1-0 victory. The Calgary native cranked up the intensity when Edmonton turned up the pressure, making key stops to get the shutout. If the Golden Knights want to beat Edmonton, that means returning to that composed nature. Having a save percentage of .887 and a GAA of 2.93 isn't cutting it.
The good thing about rooting for a team like the Golden Knights is that they have a front office that does whatever it takes to win. They want to get the best players possible while performing the most absurd salary cap gymnastics you'll ever see. That might infuriate opposing fanbases, including the Oilers. But does that matter when you're trying to beat your rivals into a pulp and win another Stanley Cup?