Few enlargement franchises in Main League Baseball, the Nationwide Soccer League, the Nationwide Basketball Affiliation, or the Nationwide Hockey League have had as a lot success from the get-go because the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Reaching the Stanley Cup Finals of their first season again in 2017–18, the Golden Knights have reached the postseason in six of their eight seasons, and the one season that missed the playoffs was a 12 months they scored 94 factors.
The franchise’s fast ascent crescendoed final season because it beat the Florida Panthers in 5 video games to take its first-ever Stanley Cup Championship, shedding simply six video games in its 4 playoff sequence. The Golden Knights entered 2023–24 as overwhelming favorites, however that they had a down 12 months, scoring simply 98 factors in comparison with final 12 months’s 111 factors and getting into the postseason because the #8 seed. Listed below are the most important takeaways from the defending champ’s season.
Season Expectations
As famous, the Las Vegas Golden Knights had important expectations going into the season as on-line sports activities betting favorites to win the Western Convention. Solely the Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers entered the 12 months with higher odds to win the Stanley Cup within the West than the Golden Knights.
The season couldn’t have began higher, with the defending champs profitable 11 of their first 12 video games. Nonetheless, they struggled the remainder of the best way, going 34–36 and barely reaching the postseason as the ultimate Wild Card consultant.
Solely eight groups in league historical past have gained back-to-back Stanley Cups, and the Golden Knights made it rather more demanding on themselves with a weak common season. They needed to battle again on the finish of the 12 months to succeed in the postseason and have struggled to search out their identification, resulting in Noah Hanifin’s and Tomas Hertl’s mid-season acquisitions. These two gamers are among the many standout performers this season.
Standout Gamers
Jonathan Marchessault led the best way for Las Vegas by way of factors, scoring 69 factors on a career-high 42 targets and 27 assists. These 69 factors have been probably the most he has scored since 2017–18, his first season as a Golden Knight.
Nonetheless, Marchessault’s place on the prime of Vegas’ scoring leaderboard signifies what went improper this season. Jack Eichel was the Golden Knight’s main scorer on final 12 months’s Stanley Cup championship workforce however missed time this 12 months as a consequence of harm. Chandler Stephenson trailed him by only a single level however regressed this 12 months offensively.
Regardless of taking part in simply six video games with Las Vegas within the common season, Hertl scored 4 factors after becoming a member of the workforce late within the 12 months. The longtime San Jose Shark was a lone vibrant spot on a depressing Shark workforce that had a traditionally unhealthy season and has been a constant level scorer for years.
Standout Moments
Las Vegas’ dominant begin stood out, because the workforce was 11–0–1 after 12 video games and misplaced consecutive video games in regulation in mid-December. Nonetheless, by Christmas, they have been 1–5–0 through the six-game stretch resulting in their Winter Traditional matchup towards Seattle, which began a extra important development within the improper course. The Kraken dominated Las Vegas in a 3–0 win, marking the Golden Knights’ sixth loss in eight video games earlier than getting beat down by Florida three days later.
Las Vegas struggled mightily after the All-Star break, giving up 3.44 targets per recreation since mid-February, rating twenty third within the league. Goaltender Adin Hill has highlighted these struggles, with only a .877 save share throughout that span.
Nonetheless, issues did flip round a bit with the additions of Hertl and Hanifin. Las Vegas went 11–5–1 after the March 8 commerce deadline, largely with out Hartl, who missed time as a consequence of knee surgical procedure in February. The late-season surge helped the Golden Knights sneak into the playoffs and have already given the #1-seeded Dallas Stars hassle.
Publish Season Aspirations
Whereas Las Vegas struggled within the common season, they nonetheless entered the postseason with a championship pedigree, substantial defensive depth to unravel their goal-surrendering issues, and a brand new weapon in Hertl. They opened up the postseason with two street victories over the Stars, placing the #1 seed on the brink early. Whereas Dallas stole an additional time win in Las Vegas, the Golden Knights are nonetheless accountable for the sequence, thanks primarily to Eichel’s dominant play.
The Golden Knights are nonetheless a menace within the Western Convention. The street will probably be troublesome, however the workforce is just like final season’s championship squad. In keeping with most gamers, the second championship is probably the most difficult championship when making an attempt to go back-to-back.
Publish Season Outcomes
The workforce discovered itself at a crossroads because the curtain closed on the Las Vegas Golden Knights’ 2023–24 season. Regardless of a rollercoaster 12 months marked by early promise and late struggles, the Golden Knights demonstrated resiliency and the center of a champion. Their postseason journey, though ending in a hard-fought seven-game sequence towards the Dallas Stars, underscored the unpredictability of playoff hockey and the skinny margins that separate triumph from defeat.
This season could not have ended with the jubilation of final 12 months’s championship, nevertheless it offered important classes and memorable moments that can form the franchise’s future. The mid-season acquisitions of Noah Hanifin and Tomas Hertl, though initially seen as a bet, paid dividends and recommend a vibrant outlook for the following marketing campaign. Jonathan Marchessault’s resurgence as a prime scorer and Jack Eichel’s playoff heroics are additional proof of the workforce’s core energy and potential for rebound.
Wanting forward, the Golden Knights are well-positioned to retool and return stronger. With a mix of skilled leaders and rising abilities, the workforce’s basis stays strong. The problem now lies in harnessing this season’s classes to refine their recreation and ignite a renewed quest for the Stanley Cup.
As followers mirror on a season of highs and lows, they’ll take pleasure in a workforce that continues to battle towards the chances, embodying the spirit of perseverance that has outlined the Golden Knights since their exceptional inception. The hunt for an additional championship is way from over; it’s merely paused, able to be reignited with the drop of the puck subsequent season.