A win against the Winnipeg Jets was all the Vegas Golden Knights needed last night to advance to their first Stanley Cup Final.
And a win is exactly what they got.
After dropping Game 1 to the Jets at Bell MTS Place, Vegas stormed back with four straight victories of their own. Led by goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, the Golden Knights allowed just six goals over that stretch and now have the opportunity to do the unthinkable against either the Tampa Lightning or Washington Capitals in the next round.
Breakout forward William Karlsson has been a pleasant surprise for the team all year, finishing third in regular season goals behind only Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin and Jets sophomore Patrik Laine with 43. After Vegas punched their ticket to the Finals, Karlsson hilariously confessed in a postgame interview that he’s had a Golden Knights shirt since he was a kid and dreamt of this very moment with them.
Karlsson, 25, likely hasn’t played for whichever team it was that he imagined himself going to the Stanley Cup Finals with as a kid. Before landing with the Golden Knights, Karlsson kicked his career off with the Columbus Blue Jakcets; a below average team at best during his younger days. The Golden Knights, of course, were still years away from existence.
Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images
No one could have foreseen Vegas’ success thus far. The team has well exceeded expectations and is on the verge of capping off what might be remembered as the most impressive season in NHL history. If they can win in the Finals, it’s safe to say kids will be imagining themselves winning a championship with the Golden Knights on the pond come winter time.
(H/T Brady Trettenero)
