The Useful Context
It's a bit of a surprise Vegas is one win away from another Stanley Cup Final. This was a 95-point team that needed seven games to put away the Utah Mammoth in the opening round. But it's Vegas. The Golden Knights treat the playoffs like a personal appointment they never miss.
Since that expansion draft nine years ago, the success has been unmatched in the league. Even with a coaching change two weeks before season's end, they've found another gear. With one more win, they'll take out the Presidents' Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche. That's the kind of season this franchise has built.
The matchup already has enough history; the job is to keep the reading list shorter than the tension.
The penalty kill has been the backbone. Vegas ranked third on the power play (9.6 goals per-60 minutes) and eighth on the kill (6.9 goals conceded per 60) during the regular season. In 15 playoff games, they've been outscored just 5-4 on the penalty kill. One goal underwater this deep into the playoffs is a remarkable feat. Carter Hart has been an upgrade in net, but the defensive corps of Brayden McNabb, Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanifin and Shea Theodore gives John Tortorella two skilled units to throw at opposing attacks.
Mitch Marner is simply dominating. He's leading the entire playoff field in scoring—his seven goals and 11 primary assists would stand alone as the top totals for most players. His line with Brett Howden and William Karlsson is outscoring opponents 10-to-7 at even strength. Maple Leafs fans wanted to see him chase a Cup in Toronto. Instead, he's doing it in the West.
The Detail Still Doing Work
The deployment is clever: Mark Stone, Jack Eichel and Marner play on three separate lines. That depth is necessary against a team like Colorado, or you risk getting skated out of your own building. Eichel takes Nathan MacKinnon's minutes, which leaves Marner to handle defensive stalwarts like Artturi Lehkonen, Gabriel Landeskog and Brock Nelson. So far, that matchup has worked out quite well.
Goaltending stabilized when it mattered most. Hart is stopping around 89 per cent of shots—right near league average. But this team doesn't need Dominik Hasek. They just needed to not sink. The defensive play in front of Hart has tightened since the regular season, and that regression toward the mean has turned Vegas into a monster.
The Golden Knights are now a loaded team with very few holes. One more victory returns them to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in nine seasons. That's simply remarkable.