It’s official: Vegas will miss the NHL postseason for the first time in franchise history.
The Golden Knights’ second-half collapse this season left them with razor-thin playoff hopes, which were utterly dashed in a 4-3 shootout loss to Chicago on Wednesday.
To stay alive, Vegas would have had to defeat the Blackhawks somehow, and Dallas would have had to lose to Arizona. The Stars and Golden Knights played each other Tuesday, where a regular win by Dallas would have eliminated Vegas instantly. Vegas led Dallas twice in that game but ultimately went into a shootout.
That brought Dallas’ magic number to a point to secure a spot ahead of Vegas, which was cliche with Vegas’ loss to Arizona on Wednesday.
Now that the Stars have finished last in the Western Conference playoffs, the 16-team field is set. Sowing will be determined further this week.
“I’m surprised. I’m disappointed. I’m at the forefront of responsibility,” said Vegas coach Peter DeBoer. “There are a lot of expectations for this team. It’s not an easy thing and it doesn’t feel good for anyone at the moment.”
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For the Golden Knights, this goes down as a lost season. The expansion club had made the playoffs in each of the last four seasons and reached the Stanley Cup Finals in its debut season in 2017–18.
Vegas looked like it could be a contender again this season. By early February, the Golden Knights were a top 10 club in the league with a 28-16-3 record and had not suffered straight regular losses in over two months.
Around the same time, Captain Mark Stone was out due to an injury from which he would not return until early April. That was a significant loss, but Stone’s move to long-term reserve allowed Vegas to activate Jack Eichel after recovering from herniated disc surgery.
The Golden Knights had orchestrated a blockbuster trade with Buffalo in November to bring Eichel on board and put her at the top. And for Eichel, the move to Vegas meant a chance to finally make his first career playoff appearance after failing to make the 2015-2021 postseason with the Sabers.
Eichel has produced for his new team, collecting 12 goals and 22 points in 33 games. It was all the Golden Knights’ other problems that caught up with them.
Key injuries to Stone, Max Pacioretty, Robin Lehner, Reilly Smith and others took their toll. Stone was able to rejoin the lineup on April 12 but was pointless in his first six games. And then, after struggling with shoulder and leg injuries, Lehner was forced into season-ending surgery earlier this week.
“On paper, what can anyone say we’re missing? We’ve got everything,” said Pacioretty. “But at the same time, everyone knows that hard work beats that talent on paper, and chemistry is probably the most important thing, on and off the ice.”
Vegas’ playoff future then rested on rookie Logan Thompson in the crease, who came into play Tuesday with a solid 14-9-5 record and a .917 save percentage (best among freshman goalies with at least 10 starts).
However, Vegas could not overcome its own defensive weaknesses and have repeatedly failed Thompson in recent times. Against the modest San Jose Sharks on Sunday, the Golden Knights twice led 3-1 and 4-2 only to fall apart on the track and lose in a shootout.
Ultimately, one of the things Vegas lacked was consistency when it most needed it.
“There will obviously be a lot of time to think,” Pacioretty said. “A lot of decisions will be out of the players’ control at this point but you have to reckon that all bets will be void if a team performs as poorly as we have this year.”