Vegas Golden Knights Defeat LA Kings 4-0 and Advance to Western Conference Semi Finals

[Daximus]

Good for Vegas. Nothing against them, it's like a movie from major league, or slap shot. A bunch of cast aways playing with a chip on their shoulder.
Amazing.

From a nhl standpoint it's insulting and a joke that a team can enter the league in year one as a dominate team like this. Teams like buffalo, Arizona, Carolina ect who suffered for so long and had to work to be relevant. Just doesn't seem fair or ethically correct.

You know?

Nothing against Vegas. It's not their fault and they should be acknowledged for their accomplishments this year

Phoenix is a bit different. They had a half decent team when they got it. Years of mismanagement and being cheap is to blame for that.

 

[Daximus]

I really, really hope that Vegas dismantles the Jets. Two heavy teams gone in one year would be AMAZING.

Jets will have to get through to the conference finals for that to happen.

 

[TARS]

Good for Vegas. Nothing against them, it's like a movie from major league, or slap shot. A bunch of cast aways playing with a chip on their shoulder.
Amazing.

From a nhl standpoint it's insulting and a joke that a team can enter the league in year one as a dominate team like this. Teams like buffalo, Arizona, Carolina ect who suffered for so long and had to work to be relevant. Just doesn't seem fair or ethically correct.

You know?

Nothing against Vegas. It's not their fault and they should be acknowledged for their accomplishments this year

The league should focus on what’s best going forward instead of hamstringing themselves on future decisions based on mistakes from the past.

Yeah, it sucks that other expansion teams have had to claw their way from the absolute bottom to get anywhere. But if you want to introduce hockey in new markets, the best way to achieve that is to give the fans in those cities a team worth cheering for from day one.

Personally, I think it’s best if expansion teams finish anywhere from 1st to 20th or so in their first year. They should dominate the whole league, but should at least be competitive and have a chance at a run.

 

[PuckSeparator]

I blame this sweep on the Kings indulging in the night life in Vegas.

 

[bert]

Unreal. I was so totally wrong about this team at the start of the season.

Congrats to Vegas! I'm on the bandwagon.

Me too, its really insane that this has happened. However when you watch this team its mind blowing that some teams let some of these players go. Specifically Schmidt and Marchessault these guys are legitimate super stars. The talent, skill, speed and excecution of these two players is EXTREMELY ELITE. Schmidt sure reminds me of Duncan Keith, incredible motor, very good two way defender I think his offensive game will continue to grow. Marchessault's skill and edgework is insane, a truly new age player.

As amazing as Karlsson has been this year he doesnt have the raw talent of Marchessault I dont think he replicates this year and you will see Marchessault lead the team in scoring with wild bill running shot gun.

 

[DarkReign]

Bull****. We see GMs make mistakes most of this board see coming from miles away every single year. Most GMs are morons and embarassements.

So you and HF saw Wild Bill being a 40g scorer?

You saw Theodore being a very good offensive defensemen leading the attack from the backend?

Engelland? Perron? Schmidt? You saw allll of this coming?

Outside of Marchessault (sp? I’m on phone), Fleury and Neal, you knew this?

Brother, I don’t want to search your post history in regards to VGK, but I doubt you...immensely. You are in the wrong business if your post history backs you up on this. I am talking posts from June - October 2017.

 

[Trapper]

I don't really understand the King's management.
Last time they traded for a goalie, ok, then they trade for Phaneuf?
Hasn't scoring goals been a big issue? I'm no GM but I think I'd be looking for a scoring forward.

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

I don't really understand the King's management.
Last time they traded for a goalie, ok, then they trade for Phaneuf?
Hasn't scoring goals been a big issue? I'm no GM but I think I'd be looking for a scoring forward.

L.A. already has Kopitar, Brown, Carter, and Toffoli.

 

[bert]

So you and HF saw Wild Bill being a 40g scorer?

You saw Theodore being a very good offensive defensemen leading the attack from the backend?

Engelland? Perron? Schmidt? You saw allll of this coming?

Outside of Marchessault (sp? I’m on phone), Fleury and Neal, you knew this?

Brother, I don’t want to search your post history in regards to VGK, but I doubt you...immensely. You are in the wrong business if your post history backs you up on this. I am talking posts from June - October 2017.

Bingo. Anyone predicting that they saw this coming is full of it. Marchessault, Smith, Perron, Neil, Fleury and the recent performance of a few players like Schmidt were proven almost everyone else has been an unexpected pleasant suprise.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

So you and HF saw Wild Bill being a 40g scorer?

You saw Theodore being a very good offensive defensemen leading the attack from the backend?

Engelland? Perron? Schmidt? You saw allll of this coming?

Outside of Marchessault (sp? I’m on phone), Fleury and Neal, you knew this?

Brother, I don’t want to search your post history in regards to VGK, but I doubt you...immensely. You are in the wrong business if your post history backs you up on this. I am talking posts from June - October 2017.

This presupposes certain things. That I'm qualified to be an NHL GM and that I have access to the same resources as NHL GMs do. I'm not. My point also relates to more than Vegas, and no doubt not every player who excelled this year should be an indictement against NHL GMs, but there's no doubt in my mind that an expansion team picking up scraps from the rest of the league wins a division and sweeps their first round opponent isn't a ridiculous notion in regards to NHL GMs.

With that said, I don't post much around the hockey boards, so you can search my history. And even then (and neither did I think Vegas would succeed this year) my ignorance does not excuse general managers. They should know better.

 

[Trapper]

L.A. already has Kopitar, Brown, Carter, and Toffoli.

Great. They scored 3 goals in the playoffs. How'd that work out?

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Great. They scored 3 goals in the playoffs. How'd that work out?

Terribly. Yet, they score during the regular season.

 

[Sword]

The Kings should've kept Cammalleri.

 

[PunkRockLocke]

Good for Vegas. Nothing against them, it's like a movie from major league, or slap shot. A bunch of cast aways playing with a chip on their shoulder.
Amazing.

From a nhl standpoint it's insulting and a joke that a team can enter the league in year one as a dominate team like this. Teams like buffalo, Arizona, Carolina ect who suffered for so long and had to work to be relevant. Just doesn't seem fair or ethically correct.

You know?

Nothing against Vegas. It's not their fault and they should be acknowledged for their accomplishments this year

I really don't understand this line of thinking. I'm not singling you out, many seem to have adopted it.

No team should be gifted anything, or have anything assumed, at the beginning of each season. This goes for teams you list like Buffalo, Carolina, Arizona, etc. It should not be assumed that anyone, even an expansion team, should be worse than you.

Every team, including Vegas, is playing by the same rules. Teams hamstrung by bad contracts, NMC's, etc, is their own doing. An expansion team should not be punished for this. As examples, Carolina had a championship team 12 years ago, and Buffalo had a Presidents trophy winning team 11 years ago. The current state of those franchises is due to inept management and ownership. Why should Bill Foley and his $500M have to suffer due to teams like this? They're all playing by the same rules.

I admit, in the current salary cap era starting with a clean slate, with no contracts on the books, can be a very good thing (as Vegas is proving). The fact that they got this clean slate of course was inherent with the circumstances so they cannot be blamed. They should be credited though for doing a fantastic job with said clean slate - much better than most ownership/management groups would have done.

There is an old boys mentality in hockey, that you must play guys based on reputation and pedigree, you must manage your team in such a way that fits with the tradition of the game. I am not necessarily opposed to all instances of this - but another thing Vegas is proving is that thinking this way can be detrimental. They are not necessarily "money-balling", but they have built a great team in a way we haven't seen before, or at least in a very long time.

They should not be punished for this, they were not gifted anything. The NHL should not be scrutinized for trying to run a sustainable business, and for giving a new member club a chance to at least be relevant. No one in the hockey community thought this team would be good following the expansion draft. Give them the credit they deserve. Teams like the aforementioned basement dwellers and their fanbases have nothing to complain about - their suffering is only their own doing, and they aren't owed anything.

Sports are about compelling stories. That's it. We watch for entertainment, and inspiration. This is the best story we've seen in a while. Enjoy it.

 

[McFlash97]

Kings were utter horsesh**** this series,. They should be embarrassed at their performance in the playoffs. Getting swept by an expansion team is humiliating. I dont care if they had over 50 wins 100 points and is the best expansion team of all time. I mean cmon win at least 1 game. Just a waste of a playoff spot. Any one below them would have given the Knights a fight.

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Kings were utter horsesh**** this series,. They should be embarrassed at their performance in the playoffs. Getting swept by an expansion team is humiliating. I dont care if they had over 50 wins 100 points and is the best expansion team of all time. I mean cmon win at least 1 game. Just a waste of a playoff spot. Any one below them would have given the Knights a fight.

No, I think it's just that Vegas is too good. I mean, according to what you said, a majority of NHL teams should be embarrassed for finishing lower than the Knights.

 

[PensandCaps]

So you and HF saw Wild Bill being a 40g scorer?

You saw Theodore being a very good offensive defensemen leading the attack from the backend?

Engelland? Perron? Schmidt? You saw allll of this coming?

Outside of Marchessault (sp? I’m on phone), Fleury and Neal, you knew this?

Brother, I don’t want to search your post history in regards to VGK, but I doubt you...immensely. You are in the wrong business if your post history backs you up on this. I am talking posts from June - October 2017.

Agree....but i think most people knew Theodore was a very good offensive Dman. Not really a shocker...

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I don't really understand the King's management.
Last time they traded for a goalie, ok, then they trade for Phaneuf?
Hasn't scoring goals been a big issue? I'm no GM but I think I'd be looking for a scoring forward.

Trading for Bishop was a different management team.

The Phaneuf trade was more about minimizing the damage from Gaborik's contract, instead of a healthy scratch forward we got a good regular 4-5 d-man.

Can you imagine if we also didn't have PHANEUF this series? My god, our Game 2 D would have been Martinez-Fantenberg / Gravel-Ladue / Folin-MacDermid

 

[Stickpucker]

Congrats Vegas on your first series win!

 

[illpucks]

If Sharks sweep the Ducks we will see a battle of 4-0 teams!

 

[PTmbp13]

Great! Fleury is the best play off goalie, Like him a lot. Looking frwd too watch him more!

 

[traparatus]

I wonder if Kings would have been better off losing a game or two in a blow-out. Game 2, for example. A loss is a loss but Kings were losing in a way that sucked all the life and energy out of their very top heavy line up.

You could see that by 3rd period Kopitar/Doughty were completely spent. Meanwhile,Vegas was doing their thing, rolling four lines. Nate f********* Schmidt leading the rush with 5 minutes to go in a 1-0 game, not a care in the world.

I can't believe McNabb scored the series clincher, he of 12 career goals against a team that left him exposed in the expansion draft. Whoever is writing this book is doing a bang-up job so far.

F*** it, let's just go the whole way. Pittsburgh vs Vegas final. Fleury vs Murray. I'd watch that.

 

[topshelf15]

LA needs far more talent up front...

 

[McFlash97]

No, I think it's just that Vegas is too good. I mean, according to what you said, a majority of NHL teams should be embarrassed for finishing lower than the Knights.

Regular season is one thing. Getting bent over in the playoffs in 4 games with cup winning players on your team scoring 3 goals in the process is another. Kings were a no show.

 

[Boris Zubov]

If the rules were the same, I wouldn’t care.

Hopefully Seattle has the same success except they can’t choose any players from the Knights, correct?

I'm confused. I thought you were were a Knights fan? You've been off & on the VGK board most of the season. Why are you so salty about them winning if you're rooting for them?

I'm also curious, did you complain this much about the league & their rules when they let your Pens obviously tank for Lemieux or when they gifted them Crosby in that rigged lottery? Or are you too young to remember those things?