To the pleasure, and dismay of hockey fans, the Vegas Golden Knights are shockingly fighting for a chance to play in the Stanley Cup.
After an expansion draft that featured the team pluck the leftovers from every hockey team, and trade some of those for draft picks, Vegas cruised their way through the regular season to a Pacific Division title. The playoffs have told the same story, as they swept the Los Angeles Kings in four straight before beating the perennially scary San Jose Sharks 4-2 in the second round. Despite their playoff success so far, it’s worth noting that the team isn’t as experienced when it comes to postseason hockey as some might think. It turns out the organization has the second-most games of Conference Finals experience among the four remaining teams. They trail the Tampa Bay Lightning with 34.
The Bulk of experience primarily comes from veterans James Neal and Marc-Andre Fleury. Neal reached the conference Finals with both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators, while Fleury reached the series with the Pens on four different occasions.
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Regardless of if the team comes out of the West, this playoff run should prove to be crucial for years to come. This likely won’t be the last time we see the Golden Knights in the Western Conference Finals in the near future.
(H/T NHL Public Relations)
