Vegas Golden Knights

The opening series provided quite a scare for the Vegas Golden Knights, who took a 3-1 series lead before the Minnesota Wild won two straight to even things up and force the decisive contest. 

Mattias Janmark netted his first career hat trick in the victory as the Knights advanced to face the West Division champion Colorado Avalanche in the second round. Minnesota, meanwhile, failed to advance out of the first round for its fourth consecutive postseason. The Wild fell 3-1 in a qualifying-round series to the Vancouver Canucks last summer in the NHL bubble. 

It's the third time in four years since Vegas joined the NHL that the club has advanced out of the first round. The Knights improved to 2-1 all-time in Game 7s, while the Wild head into the offseason earlier than expected once again. 

Notable Performers

Mattias Janmark, C, Vegas Golden Knights: 3 Goals, 4 Shots

Marc-Andre Fleury, G, Vegas Golden Knights: 19 Saves, 2 Goals Allowed

Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Minnesota Wild: 1 Goal, 2 Shots, 3 Hits

Zach Parise, LW, Minnesota Wild, 1 Goal, 2 Shots, -3 Plus/Minus

Janmark, Pacioretty Spark Knights

Max Pacioretty hadn't been on the ice with his teammates since May 1 with an undisclosed injury. 

He was finally able to get the green light to play in Game 7 on Friday with his team's season on the line. That proved a consequential decision right away. Not only did the Knights rely on their star forward to skate for 16:28 (22 shifts), but Pacioretty came through with the eventual game-winning goal in the second period to help put the Wild away for good. 

Even with all of its recent playoff success, Friday was the first time Vegas won a series in front of its home fans. The Knights put on an absolute show in the process. 

Early end-to-end action showed Game 7 was going to have plenty of wide-open opportunities across the ice. That worked out perfectly well for center Mattias Janmark, who scored three goals on four shot attempts and ensured the Wild wouldn't be able to mount a comeback. 

Unfortunately for the Knights, that dream won't last very long. 

Beginning Sunday, they'll have to face a Colorado team that barely edged them for the Presidents' Trophy in the regular season after splitting their eight-game series 4-4.

Neither team won more than two consecutive games against each other in division play, setting up what could be another long series with the fate of the West on the line. 

Getting past Minnesota may have been the easy part. 

Where The Wild Go Next

It's been nearly a decade since Zach Parise and Ryan Suter shook up the NHL by signing matching 13-year, $98 million dollar contracts to join the Wild. 

At the time, Parise was leaving his role as the captain of the New Jersey Devils only weeks after falling to the Los Angeles Kings in the 2012 Stanley Cup Final to represent the city where his father, J.P., played and the state where he grew up. 

Suter, meanwhile, had developed into a No. 1 defenseman with the Nashville Predators and was leaving the middling club for a division rival.

Nine years later, neither has much to show for it aside from their bank accounts. Minnesota has reached the second round of the playoffs just twice in the Parise-Suter era, and while that's not necessarily an indictment of their play, it says plenty about the team Minnesota has built around the two stars.

Head coaching changes haven't helped matters, nor has a new general manager coming in. Now, it remains to be seen if Parise will even finish out his deal with the Wild.

As rookie Kirill Kaprizov, Jordan Greenway, Kevin Fiala and Joel Eriksson Ek continue to prove they're the future of the franchise—to say nothing of 2020 first-round pick Marco Rossi's impending arrival—the present is looking more and more bleak for veterans like Parise and Suter.

Despite posting 37 points in 44 playoff games with Minnesota, including a spectacular no-look deflection Friday, the Parise and Suter era hasn't lived up to the hype. 

Given where the Wild find themselves again at the end of the first round, it's looking increasingly likely the Stanley Cup hopes the two brought to Minnesota won't come to fruition.

What's Next

The Knights will open their second-round series against the Colorado Avalanche on the road in Denver. Game 1 is set for Sunday, May 30 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

The Vegas Golden Knights became the first NHL team to clinch a playoff spot with a 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday. 

Vegas could have punched its ticket on Tuesday if the Anaheim Ducks defeated the Los Angeles Kings, but they fell 4-1. 

Either way, the NHL's newest team is headed to the postseason for the fourth straight season. The Golden Knights, three years removed from a Stanley Cup Final berth in their inaugural season, will be looking to improve on a Conference Finals appearance last year.

This year's playoff format is different than usual. With the league divided into four location-based divisions, the top four teams in each group will make the postseason. The first two rounds of the playoffs will consist of intra-division games and the advancing teams will then be reseeded based on regular-season point total. 

Here is a look at what teams would make the playoffs if the season ended today: 

West Division

Vegas Golden Knights: 68 points (33-11-2)

Colorado Avalanche: 64 points (30-9-4)

Minnesota Wild: 61 points (29-13-3)

Arizona Coyotes: 45 points (20-22-5)

Central Division

Carolina Hurricanes: 65 points (30-10-5)

Florida Panthers: 65 points (30-12-5)

Tampa Bay Lightning: 62 points (30-14-2)

Nashville Predators: 52 points (25-21-2)

Dallas Stars: 50 points (19-14-12)

East Division

Washington Capitals: 62 points (29-13-4)

New York Islanders: 62 points (29-13-4)

Pittsburgh Penguins: 61 points (29-14-3)

Boston Bruins: 58 points (26-12-6)

North Division

Toronto Maple Leafs: 61 points (28-13-5)

Winnipeg Jets: 47 points (27-15-3)

Edmonton Oilers: 56 points (27-15-2)

Montreal Canadiens: 47 points (19-15-9)

The Golden Knights are far from the same team that ran all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in their first season as a franchise, but their roster has put them atop the league table all the same. For the second successive season, the Golden Knights have surged past the competition due to the power of Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty, who served as the team's most productive skaters this season. 

Stone is among the league leaders in assists, with 35 helpers to go with 18 goals, while Pacioretty has found the net 22 times and helped out on 24 goals. Shea Theodore is also with Stone on the league leaderboards with 32 assists to go with six goals. 

Vegas also welcomed Alex Pietrangelo as a headline signing in free agency. He helped bolster the defense in front of two starting-caliber netminders in Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner. 

All of that has combined to help the Golden Knights maintain a postseason presence for the fourth year in as many tries since joining the league.

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner went on Twitter to clarify comments he made earlier Wednesday when he claimed that the NHL had lied about its COVID-19 policies.

Lehner's initial quotes were in reference to the league reportedly saying that it would ease COVID-19 restrictions "if the league hit a certain threshold of vaccinations," per Justin Emerson of the Las Vegas Sun.

The Swede said the following, referencing his team's own inoculations: "We were approached and promised things for our league if we got vaccinated. When we did it, now they changed. They said it's not happening. I think that's wrong. That was a lie, a blatant lie."

Lehner issued more remarks about his feelings during a press conference with reporters, and he later gave this statement on Twitter.

"As I'm frustrated like a lot of people in the world right now everything didn't come out of today's press in the right way. Main point is that we need to start take the mental health important as well In this situation. It has a huge impact on everyone in society right now.

"To put competitive edge before well being of people lives is wrong. As I said people are struggling with many different things mentally and we need to consider that as well. Then being lied to makes it worse. I love hockey and the league has done a lot of good things.

"But this missed the mark. My bad to say it's like prison and I apologize but with mental health issues that is developing in the world it develops problems mentally. We will see exactly how this effects everything with time. I don't mean to offend anyone.

"I hope we can all work together to help people that suffers trough mental help from this going forward. I've heard how a lot of people are doing trough this as people talk to me about it."

Emerson summarized the restrictions placed on players this year amid the pandemic: "The NHL has instituted strict restrictions on players that require them to remain largely sequestered in their hotel rooms while on the road. While at home, they are advised not to go out unless necessary."

An NHL spokesperson also issued this statement following Lehner's comments, per Emerson:

The NHL began its 56-game regular season on Jan. 13. The Golden Knights, who lead the league with 66 points, have 11 regular-season games remaining through May 10. The NHL's point leaders haven't officially clinched playoffs yet, but a postseason berth is a mere formality. The Stanley Cup Final will be held in July, with the latest possible date for Game 7 being on the 15th.

Vegas is one of the top Stanley Cup contenders this year in part because of the 29-year-old Lehner, who is 11-1-2 with a 91.9 save percentage and 2.11 goals-against average in 14 games.

Plenty of professional athletes have been kicked out of hotels, but the Vegas Golden Knights might have the best excuse for scrambling to book accommodations.

While in San Jose for two games against the Sharks, the Knights were abruptly left without a place to stay when the Fairmont Hotel filed for bankruptcy. According to the Mercury News (via ESPN), the landmark building closed because of financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It expects to reopen in two or three months.

"It was a surreal experience," Golden Knights coach Peter DeBoer told the Las Vegas Sun's Justin Emerson. "Hopefully this is the end of the COVID year, but it was almost the topping on the cake for what the last year has been for everybody in the world. Just another thing thrown at you, another thing to deal with."

The Knights had to quickly pack up and leave following a 5-4 overtime victory Friday night.

But the problem will extend beyond Vegas, as ESPN noted, because of the Fairmont's status as the NHL's lodging option for visiting opponents. The St. Louis Blues were expected to check in Monday, but at least they'll have a bit more time to alter their plans than the Golden Knights did.

The Vegas Golden Knights announced that general manager Kelly McCrimmon would coach the team for Tuesday's game vs. the St. Louis Blues with the coaching staff "self-isolating ... due to COVID-19 protocols."

The Knights added that members of the Henderson Silver Knights' coaching staff—Las Vegas' AHL affiliate—would assist McCrimmon.

The Golden Knights have started the season out 5-1 as they seek to reach the postseason this year for the fourth time in as many years. Since reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in their maiden season of 2017-18, the organization has never missed the postseason. 

McCrimmon, 60, has experience as a head coach, holding the position for the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings from in three separate stints (1990-1992, 2004-2011, 2013-2016). He was also the team's sole owner from 2000-2020 and also held the role of general manager for the team. 

He's served as the Golden Knights' general manager since May 2019. He first joined the team in Aug. 2016 as an assistant general manager.

The Golden Knights face the Blues (3-2-1) again on Thursday evening. It's unclear if McCrimmon will have to reprise his role as head coach for that contest as well. 

The Vegas Golden Knights are reportedly have succeeded in landing free-agent defenseman Alex Pietrangelo with a seven-year contract worth $8.8 million annually, according to Jesse Granger of The Athletic.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedma reported the 30-year-old will have a full no-movement clause in the contract.

Pietrangelo spent the past 12 seasons with the St. Louis Blues. He finished the 2019-20 season with 16 goals and 36 assists in 70 games.

On the first official day of free agency, the Blues announced Friday they had struck a deal with Torey Krug on a seven-year, $45.5 million contract, effectively ending Pietrangelo's run in St. Louis. The Blues captain for the last four seasons, Pietrangelo said Saturday that the Krug signing "caught me off guard," per The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford.

Rutherford reported the Blues were willing to pay Pietrangelo $64 million but over eight years. The no-movement clause may have been a pivotal factor as well.

The Golden Knights emerged as his likely landing spot, and the Canadian took a formal visit to Las Vegas during negotiations.

The Knights reached the Stanley Cup Final during their inaugural 2017-18 season and also made the Western Conference Finals in 2020. Vegas clearly has a wide-open window for contention. Signing the best defenseman on the market was a straightforward proposal.

Of course, there's always going to be a level of risk when you sign a player who is at the onset of his 30s to a seven-year deal.

While not a perfect comparison, the Golden Knights painted themselves into a corner when they handed a then-33-year-old Marc-Andre Fleury to a three-year, $21 million extension. Offloading Fleury now that Robin Lehner is the starting goaltender is easier said than done.

Should Pietrangelo help Vegas lift the Stanley Cup once during the life of his contract, he will have paid back the team's investment and then some.

Allan Walsh, the agent for Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, deleted a tweet in which Fleury was shown being stabbed in the back with a sword, which was emblazoned with the name of Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer.  

Fleury discussed the matter Sunday in a news conference, per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski:

"Regarding that picture that came up, Allan's been my agent for a long time. I've known him since I was 15. We're always very close. We always talk about hockey or other things in life. He always protects and cares a lot about his players, and cares a lot about me also. I really appreciate his passion for the game. I think this was maybe a way to defend me in this situation. But I'm here to win with my team. To have success. That's what matters."

Fleury added that he had spoken with DeBoer and general manager Kelly McCrimmon after the image was posted.

"It was good to talk, see where we're at," he said. "I don't like being a distraction for my team."

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Saturday night about the meeting and added that all parties appeared ready to move on.

However, the tenor of the tweet in question reflects how Fleury's status on the Golden Knights might have changed significantly since he announced his three-year extension in July 2018.

The 35-year-old had a somewhat disappointing regular season. His save percentage (.905) was his lowest since 2009-10, and his goals against average (2.77) increased for the second straight season.

When Vegas acquired Robin Lehner in February, it looked like the team was consolidating its goaltender depth rather than attempting to find a direct replacement for Fleury. Instead, Lehner has started six of eight games for the Golden Knights during the NHL's modified playoff format.

One obvious question is how much Walsh's sentiment aligned with that of his client. According to Wyshynski, reporters asked Fleury twice whether he knew Walsh would post the photo, and twice Fleury declined to answer.

The pursuit of a Stanley Cup is almost assuredly enough to put this on the backburner for the time being.

Fleury is signed through the 2021-22 season, though, with Lehner hitting free agency. Were Vegas to make a long-term commitment to the latter, it could raise doubt about the former's status as the Golden Knights' No. 1 netminder going forward, thus putting Fleury in a difficult position with two years to run on his deal.

Real estate company Taylor Morrison is creating a 30-street community in Nevada that will pay tribute to the 2017-18 Vegas Golden Knights, who reached the NHL Stanley Cup Final during their inaugural season, by basing street names on those of players, coaches and executives.

Jesse Granger of The Athletic reported Friday the community, Palmer Ranch, which will be located in the north end of the Las Vegas Valley, is in the "early stages" of development based on construction and planning documents filed by the company.

Taylor Morrison division president James Gomez confirmed the plan to The Athletic:

"We wanted to capitalize on all the excitement that the Golden Knights bring to the city, and especially in northern Las Vegas. The community has been such an integral part of our growth and so supportive of our opening. The idea to name the streets after players' names has created quite a buzz and we've already had a lot of interest from different prospects on what street they will buy on, based on their favorite players."

Golden Knights Way will serve as the community's main street, and the development, which is set for a soft opening in June, is going to feature 405 homes, per Granger. The baseline construction is currently taking place, and the homes could be built starting in late June.

"It's our first Taylor Morrison product in Las Vegas, and we couldn't think of a more fitting way to honor the city," Gomez said.

Here's a look at some of the street names under development, per Granger:

• George McPhee Road
• Gerard Gallant Street
• Marc-Andre Fleury Road
• William Karlsson Street
• Marchessault Road

The houses are expected to have listing prices in the "high $200,000s."

The Vegas Golden Knights announced on Wednesday they have fired head coach Gerard Gallant and assistant Mike Kelly after a 24-19-6 start to the season.

"In order for our team to reach its full potential, we determined a coaching change was necessary. Our team is capable of more than we have demonstrated this season," general manager Kelly McCrimmon said in a statement.

The team has named Peter DeBoer its new head coach, and he will join the team Thursday.

Gallant had been the Golden Knights' only coach since the franchise's inception three years ago and led the squad to a surprising trip to the Stanley Cup Final in the inaugural 2017-18 season.

The squad reached the playoffs again in 2018-19 after finishing third in the Pacific Division but suffered a first-round loss, while the team is now in a fight to just reach the postseason.

Vegas is tied for the second and last wild-card spot in the Western Conference with 54 points, but it has played two more games than division rival Vancouver Canucks and the Central Division's Winnipeg Jets. Four losses in a row also shows the team isn't trending in the right direction heading into the All-Star Weekend, which is Jan. 24-26.

Though he won the Jack Adams Award for Coach of the Year in 2017-18, Gallant hasn't made it past three seasons at any of his three coaching stops (Columbus and Florida).

The Golden Knights will now try to turn around the season under DeBoer, who was fired as head coach of the San Jose Sharks in December.

The 51-year-old has spent parts of eight seasons as an NHL head coach, leading the Sharks, New Jersey Devils and Florida Panthers. He owns a 415-329-111 career record and has led two different teams to the Stanley Cup Final.

"In Peter DeBoer, we have a proven, experienced head coach who we believe can help us achieve our ultimate goal," McCrimmon said.

Despite this being a midseason hire, DeBoer is expected to remain at the helm beyond this season.