Daily Nuggets: Golden Knights, Oilers Advance; Fleury’s Final Bow

Good morning, folks. The Vegas Golden Knights pulled off the win on Thursday to eliminate the Minnesota Wild in six games and advance to Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For those of you keeping track at home, here’s where they stand: the Golden Knights have made the playoffs in seven of their first eight seasons and advanced to the second round five times. Not too shabby, eh?

Elsewhere in the Daily Nuggets, there were two other handshake lines on Thursday. Thank heavens for the Colorado Avalanche– we’re guaranteed at least one Game 7! The NHL continues announcing award finalists, and the coaching carousel keeps spinning.

Is it just me, or did Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs generally fail to live up to the hype this year? Three of the four Eastern Conference matchups ended in five games. If the St. Louis Blues lose on Friday, there will be just one Game 7. Oh, there were exciting games, but the overall theater was a bit lacking. 

Come to think of it, last year was a bit sparse in the drama department as well. “In many ways, still miss the good old days…”

Yes, yes. I’ll stop shaking my fist at the sky now. Let’s talk hockey!

Golden Knights News

On Thursday, the Golden Knights closed out their series against the Minnesota Wild and became the first Western Conference team to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Pavel Dorofeyev didn’t play, but Jack Eichel and Mark Stone stepped up in a big way. The Golden Knights won 3-2 and wrapped things up in regulation, snapping a two-game overtime win streak.

Following the win, future Hall of Fame goaltender Marc-André Fleury officially wrapped up his retirement tour with one final trip through the handshake line. Au revoir, Flower.

The Edmonton Oilers eliminated the Los Angeles Kings for the fourth straight season, which means the Golden Knights will face the Oilers in Round 2 for the second time in three seasons. The Oilers are a tough opponent– this itineration is the weakest it’s been in a few years, but they still dispatched the Kings quite handily in six games. They have two of the best players in the world, and you can never count them out.

The Golden Knights advanced to the second round, but they weren’t at their best. Far from it, in fact. If they want to win this series against the Oilers, they’ll have to find a new gear. To do that, they’ll need Jack Eichel. No one can truly shut down Connor McDavid, but Eichel can minimize his damage. He’s done it before, and he’ll need to do it again.

NHL News, Rumors, & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: It’s officially the time of year when the NHL reveals award finalists. On Thursday, they announced the three Hart Trophy finalists– Connor Hellebuyck, Nikita Kucherov, and Leon Draisaitl.

Colorado Hockey Now: Now, this is what we all expected the Colorado Avalanche-Dallas Stars matchup to look like.Lead changes, incredible saves, odd go-ahead goals– Game 6 had it all. Thankfully, the ever-generous hockey gods saw fit to grant us a Game 7. I can’t wait.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Well, I don’t think anyone expected him to be out of work very long. After a few rumor-filled days, the New York Rangers officially made former Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan their new bench boss. It sounds like he’s a very, very rich man. 

New York Islanders Hockey Now: The Islanders missed the playoffs, leaving their players free to represent their countries at the IIHF World Championship. Two players will represent Canada, and one could get the call for Sweden.

Florida Hockey Now: Oh, yeah, this will be good. The Toronto Maple Leafs finally eliminated the Ottawa Senators to advance to the second round for just the second time in 20 seasons. They’ll face the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers in Round 2.

Chicago Hockey Now: The Calder Cup Playoffs aren’t as heavily promoted as the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they’re just as entertaining. With a late comeback and an overtime victory, Game 1 between the Rockford IceHogs and the Milwaukee Admirals was as dramatic as they come.