Congratulations Golden Knights on Another Great Season!
The Vegas Golden Knights’ fourth season has finally come to an end.
The Golden Knights were once again on the brink of heading to the Stanley Cup Final, but fell to the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Semi-Final at the Bell Centre Thursday night.
A somber mood lingered amongst the team following the Golden Knights’ loss, but so did a sense of gratitude and optimism.
“We got to continue to learn and grow this organization. Four years in, we’ve had some success, but going into year five…the expectation is to win the Stanley Cup,” Golden Knights Captain Mark Stone said in a postgame press conference.
Golden Knights Head Coach Peter DeBoer mentioned the team has had its share of challenges, especially with working around the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think the whole world is looking to get back to normal,” DeBoer said in a press conference. “We want full buildings. We want to see other teams. From a coaching perspective, I want to be able to practice. I feel like we played every other night since we dropped the puck in January.
The pandemic forced the NHL to make some drastic alterations during the 2020-21 season, including temporarily realigning the league into four divisions with no conferences due to the closure of the Canada – U.S. border. As a result of the pandemic restrictions, the Golden Knights played this season in the West Division and only played games against the other teams in their new division during the regular season.
Also absent from a majority of the games this year as a result of the pandemic was the team’s loyal fanbase who were only recently able to attend Knights games at T-Mobile Arena toward the end of the season.
As a result of this realignment the Golden Knights played this season in the West Division and only played games against the other teams in their new division during the regular season and potentially the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Despite some challenging circumstances, the Golden Knights still played an excellent and consistent season.
The Knights finished the season with 40 wins and tied first overall with Colorado in the Western Division at 82 points.
The Knights also defeated the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs – an incredible feat considering Minnesota was ninth overall pick of the NHL.
This was the fourth consecutive season the Golden Knights have made it to the Stanley Cup Finals since losing the Conference Finals to the Dallas Stars last year.
Despite their elimination last week, the team appears even more optimistic about clinching the Stanley Cup.
“I think our group is learning to win different games. Obviously there’s going to be some reflection on the year as you go throughout the summer and offseason, but I do think we’re close. Now it’s about building that little extra chemistry to get us over the hump,” Stone said.
The Montreal Canadiens are playing against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Finals today in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
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The Golden Knights’ season may be over, but there are plenty of other Las Vegas teams to cheer on! You can find local sports events happening each week on our Vegas News Happenings Calendar, including the latest Las Vegas Aviators, Aces, and Lights games.