In the 2022-2023 NHL season, the Vegas Golden Knights had the most remarkable season out of all 32 teams when they won the Stanley Cup. With big trade deadline acquisitions and a stacked roster, many hockey fans were expecting the Knights to battle for the cup again but, to the shock of many, the quest for the cup ended early when the Knights got knocked out of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Knights were on a hot streak to start the season with an 11-game win streak but the team slowed down throughout the season and ended the season 4th in the Pacific Division. However, there were many highs during this season. The Knights got to play in the historic Winter Classic game against the Seattle Kraken, where they unfortunately lost 3-0. Additionally, the team made huge roster additions during the trade deadline, getting Noah Hanafin from the Calgary Flames and Tomáš Hertl from the San Jose Sharks.
With this place, they entered the playoffs in a wild-card spot. There are two wild spots for each division, the top three teams in the division will clinch a playoff spot and the remaining two teams are in a wild card spot. This wild card spot faced them off with the Dallas Stars, who finished at the top of the Central Division and second in the league. The Knights have met the Stars in the playoffs before and have an 11-3-3 record playing against them all time.
The series started in favor of Vegas, with a 2-0 series lead. Subsequently, the Stars won the next two games, evening the series at 2. A game seven was forced when Vegas won game 5 and Dallas won game 6. The Stars won the winner-take-all game 7 with a score of 1-2, ending the Golden Knights season early.
Despite the sad ending, VGK’s players and staff maintained a positive mindset.
“I’m proud of the way we competed. I don’t like the end result, no one does. We expected more out of ourselves. But it wasn’t for lack of effort, it was a little bit lack of cohesion down the stretch,” says head coach Bruce Cassidy. Cassidy also praised the players, calling them a ‘terrific group of guys’ and claimed they all love each other.
“I think [the way this season ended] should fuel all of us. There’s only one team that’s satisfied at the end of the year. We happened to be that team last year. This year, there’s only going to be one team that feels satisfied about what they did this season and that’s not where we are going to be. We want to get back to that point. It should fuel everyone. I know I’m sure going to use it as motivation and come back and be as prepared as possible to have a good season,” says star forward and alternate captain Jack Eichel.
