The toughest trophy in sports is back up for grabs. The Vegas Golden Knights will take on the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, with game action kicking off in Vegas. The two teams could not come in with more different stories. Vegas is the top seed in the West, clinching both the Pacific division and the number one seed with a win over the Seattle Kraken. The Jets secured their playoff spot as the second wild-card, barely making it in over the Nashville Predators. It’s the perfect setup for a Cinderella story, a David versus Goliath takedown, but do the Jets have enough in the tank to get the job done?
Vegas Golden Knights vs Winnipeg Jets First Round Preview
A 2018 Rematch
Despite a brief history as a team, this is not the first time Vegas has faced Winnipeg in the playoffs. The two teams battled each other in the Western Conference Finals in 2018, in Vegas’ very first year as a team. Winnipeg won Game 1, but Vegas came out on top in the next four, sealing a win in the series and an appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. Scoring was tight, with neither team scoring more than four goals in a game, and every game being decided by two goals or less. Vegas will return five skaters from that series, while Winnipeg will have seven. However, it’s not looking like this series will be as close this season. Vegas swept the Jets in the regular season this year, making the Jets even more desperate to make sure that history doesn’t repeat itself.
Experience Versus Grit in Net
One thing to watch for in Golden Knights vs Jets is the goaltending. Winnipeg is not new territory for expected Vegas starting goaltender Laurent Brossoit. He spent three seasons in Winnipeg, backing up Connor Hellebuyck, who will likely get the nod for the Jets. Brossoit has been playing his best hockey since returning from injury at the end of March, and has a .927 save percentage in eleven games this season. With several Golden Knights goaltenders injured, Brossoit is the best option, but his inexperience could come back to bite Vegas.
On the other hand, Connor Hellebuyck is one of the best, with a .920 save percentage in 64 games. Hellebuyck is consistent and calm, with playoff experience and a Vezina trophy to back up his performance. Hellebuyck is the backbone of this Jets team. His performance is a large part of the team even making the playoffs, with spectacular performances down the stretch when the race for the last Wild Card got tight, including a shutout performance against Nashville April 8. He’s a goaltender that is absolutely capable of stealing a few games, which is all you need in the playoffs.
Players Making Their Way Back
Both Vegas and Winnipeg have had their fair share of injuries this season. For Winnipeg, Kevin Stenlund and Cole Perfetti are both likely out for the first round, and Nikolai Ehlers is also questionable with an upper-body injury. Ehlers is the biggest impact on this Winnipeg team, with twelve goals on the season. Vegas has had several players out long-term, but is maybe trending towards having some returnees throughout the first round. Mark Stone will be the biggest question mark for Vegas. He’s been out since January after having back surgery, but started skating this week. However, Vegas has been on an absolute tear since the All-Star break, getting 49 of a possible 62 points in that time. You have to wonder how any disruption to chemistry will affect the team, even if it’s their captain returning.
Series Prediction
Vegas wins it in six. While Vegas won all three matchups between these teams in the regular season, the last time these teams played was in December, and both teams look very different than they did four months ago. Expect it to be a closer battle than the seeding suggests, especially if Hellebuyck can find another gear in the postseason. Vegas has had trouble finding scoring in the postseason in the past, so the potential is there for Hellebuyck to steal a few games. In the end though, Vegas has been playing like the more complete team, making them the favorites in this first-round series.
Main Photo: James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports
