As someone who went seven seasons before getting his first taste of NHL playoff action, Jack Eichel has been understandably cautious when talking about how the Vegas Golden Knights are approaching their preparations for this post-season.
“Every season, every year has its own story,” he said Monday before Vegas dropped a 4-3 decision to the Vancouver Canucks. “Last year, I think we had already clinched playoffs, and we were in a different situation as opposed to where we are now.”
Three days later, the Golden Knights still haven’t punched their playoff ticket. They wrapped up their regular-season road schedule for the year with a 5-1 loss in Edmonton on Wednesday, while the St. Louis Blues have stayed in the playoff hunt with five of six points in their last three games.
The Blues are now three points back. But Vegas has a game in hand and is headed home to play its last four games at ‘The Fortress’ — the rink that NHL players have voted as the toughest in the league to play in as visitors in the new NHL Players’ Association poll, by a wide margin. It’s the rink where the Golden Knights are 24-11-2 this season. And the rink where they went 9-3 in the playoffs last spring, on their way to their first Stanley Cup.
Home-ice advantage in the first round is now officially off the table, but a playoff berth should happen. And with Tomas Hertl now finally playing for the team that’s no stranger to trading for big talent, the Golden Knights are shaping up to be a dangerous low seed for their Western Conference opponents.
After reaching the final in their first season, one of the first dark moments at T-Mobile Arena came courtesy of the newest Golden Knight. Playing for the San Jose Sharks in 2019, Hertl recalled that he served up the shorthanded double-overtime winner that forced Game 7 in the first round against Vegas, eventually leading to the team’s abrupt ouster in Year 2.
On this day in 2019, Tomas Hertl scored shorthanded in double OT to give the @SanJoseSharks a 2-1 victory and force Game 7 against Vegas. Hertl was just the ninth player in NHL history to score a shorthanded overtime goal in the playoffs #Hockey365 #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/RfIuIxUmCg
— Mike Commito (@mikecommito) April 21, 2023
The Sharks reached the 2019 Western Conference final before falling to the St. Louis Blues. But Hertl hasn’t made a post-season appearance since then.
The Rocky theme song playing while Mark Stone and Tomas Hertl fought is amazing. 😂
🔊 SOUND ON 🔊 pic.twitter.com/lzUQXWJUOg
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 18, 2021
On Monday, he reminisced about the bad blood that boiled between Vegas and San Jose in the past — even pointing out that he dropped the gloves with Mark Stone back in 2021.
“I talked with Stoney, my only NHL fight is him,” he said. “It’s all good. It’s part of it, guys changing (teams). But now I’m just looking forward to playing for this team and hopefully I can help. I’m here just to win.”
While Hertl was surprised by the idea of a trade just two seasons into an eight-year contract extension, he waived his full no-move clause because he welcomed the opportunity to join a true contender.
“The team is really good, and they won last year,” he said. “I think, ‘Why not do it again this year and the year after?’
“This team is just built to win a lot of hockey games and built for the playoffs, in my eyes. That’s why I didn’t really hesitate to come here, because I just see a really good team that can win, and that’s what I’m really looking forward to.”
While the Golden Knights are now 0-2-0 since Hertl joined the lineup this week, it’s easy to see why Vegas went after him. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he brings a size component up front that we’ve previously seen GM Kelly McCrimmon emphasize on the back end.
He’s a faceoff ace: 17-for-24 in his first two games with Vegas. And he can play in all situations — wing or center, on the penalty kill and filling in net-front on the power play in the absence of the injured Stone.
“He’s going to play his game, and we’ll adjust a little bit to what he brings,” Cassidy said.
Trade deadline additions are nothing new in Vegas. Noah Hanifin has nine points in 16 games since the Golden Knights acquired him from the Calgary Flames, as does 6-foot-5 winger Anthony Mantha. Last year, the marquee name was Ivan Barbashev, who picked up 18 playoff points and earned himself a five-year contract extension worth $5 million annually.
In 2021-22, Eichel was acquired in November. But as he recovered from neck surgery, he didn’t play until mid-February — and the Golden Knights ended up missing the playoffs by three points in his first year.
They erased that sting last season, with the run all the way to the championship.
“Last year, you’re naive to the situation,” Eichel said. “You don’t really know what it takes, and I was, moreso, just excited that I had finally achieved the dream of getting to the playoffs.
“Then, when you’re in it, I feel like I was maybe a little bit naive to the whole thing. Looking back, realizing how tough and difficult it was — physically, mentally, emotionally — it was an incredible run we had. And what I was able to learn and gain from that was so important.
“Obviously, we’ve got to get there this year. We haven’t done that yet.”
Per moneypuck.com, Vegas’s odds of getting in are still 99.7 percent. And according to the NHL, just five teams have made up three or more points to make the playoffs in their last three games of the year, most recently the 2006-07 New York Islanders.
That being said, it wouldn’t be unprecedented for a Stanley Cup champion to miss out on a chance to defend its title. Most recently, it happened to the Los Angeles Kings after their second Cup in 2014.
Vegas wraps up its regular-season schedule with home games against Minnesota, Colorado, Chicago and Anaheim, while the Blues will finish with home games against the Hurricanes and Kraken, then a road game against the Dallas Stars.
The 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs begin on Saturday, April 20.
Related: Who Should the Canucks Want to Face in Round 1? Breaking Down Potential Opponents
Related: Opinion: Tomas Hertl Trade is a Steal for Golden Knights and Baffling for Sharks
Related: NHL Power Rankings: Each Team’s MVP in a Hart Trophy Race for the Ages
News Summary:
- Golden Knights Have the New Guys To Defend the Fortress — If They Make It
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.