Daily Nuggets: Golden Knights Face Elimination; Series Gets Nasty

Good morning, folks. After losing a must-win Game 4, the Vegas Golden Knights are on the brink of elimination. They’re down 3-1 in their second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers and will return home to T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday to try and save their season. Win, and they’ll live to fight another day. Lose, and it’ll be a long summer of booking tee times. 

Elsewhere in the Daily Nuggets, the Los Angeles Kings continue picking at table scraps cast aside by the Edmonton Oilers. The New York Islanders’ hunt for a new general manager has taken another turn, continuing its chaotic descent. Nazem Kadri ripped the Colorado Avalanche on Twitter, and a late-game incident ensures we’ll see fireworks when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Florida Panthers for Game 5.

Golden Knights News

The Golden Knights needed to be at their best in Game 4. Instead, they came out flat, fell behind in the first two minutes of the game, and never recovered. Stuart Skinner recorded a shutout, and Evander Kane continued to be a thorn in the Golden Knights’ side. The Golden Knights lost 3-0.

This loss, of course, means that the Oilers hold a commanding 3-1 series lead. Listen, crazier things have happened. But if the Game 4 Golden Knights show up to Game 5 on Wednesday, the night will end with a handshake line.

That seems harsh, especially with how many Golden Knights are clearly playing through serious injuries. But in the postseason, teams either get lucky and stay healthy, or they hit the links early. 

So, the offseason might come sooner than expected for the Golden Knights. General manager Kelly McCrimmon has earned a reputation for making the necessary changes, and an early exit all but guarantees those. However, his first order of business should be to offer Reilly Smith a new contract.

NHL News, Rumors, & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: You know what they say— if you can’t beat ‘em, hire their old general manager. Oh, is that not how the saying goes? That’s news to the Los Angeles Kings, who, according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, are closing in on making former Oilers GM Ken Holland their new general manager. 

New York Islanders Hockey Now: The Islanders executive management search has gotten messier and more convoluted than I ever could have imagined in my wildest dreams. It seems they only dismissed Lou Lamoriello in hopes of luring Ken Holland or Jeff Gorton to the organization. And, boy, did that ever backfire.

Florida Hockey Now: Once down 2-0, the Panthers clawed their way back into their series against the Toronto Maple Leafs with two straight home wins. In Game 4, the Leafs added more fuel to the fire when Max Domi hit Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov after the final horn.

Colorado Hockey Now: Oh, the drama. Mikko Rantanen continued his assault on all that stood in his way– in this case, the Winnipeg Jets– and former Avalanche center Nazem Kadri took to social media. Could there be more to Kadri’s cryptic post?

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: A summer of uncertainty awaits veteran roster players as the Penguins kick off a rebuild. Big changes are coming during the offseason, but change isn’t always a bad thing. 

NHL History: On May 13th, 2013, the Boston Bruins completed an epic comeback and began to haunt the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs led 4-1 in the third period, and the B’s became the first NHL team to rally from a third-period three-goal deficit and win a Game 7.

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