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Well, this is the greatest hockey experience of my life...

Holy crap, I'm going to game 5. Of the Stanley Cup Finals. In Vegas.   What world am I living in?!?!?!?

Still thinking and smiling about being at game 5. I was really conflicted if it was worth all that money, but some good friends convinced me to do it, and frankly I had won the money in a hockey pool,

This team has to be the fastest team in the league.

 

This has to be a factor of the success..Ironically I havent seen too many of their games,(explanation below) but when I saw them live it was amazing to see. The hockey purist in me seems to think at some point this has to end as its pretty unbeliavable to do with the lineup that they have. However how can you argue with 38 games of amazing success..

 

Why I cant watch Golden Knights games:

 

For some reason The Golden Knights are blacked out in my area on my NHL app. Even though I live 400 miles away.

 

This is pretty common with LOCAL teams. The Sharks are also blacked out, which isnt a problem because I can watch all the Sharks games on my local cable package. The Knights arent on my local cable package. The Kings and Ducks are geographically closer to me and they arent blacked out.

 

I have spent too much time with the NHL on the phone, and they are clueless as to the problem. So I pay $20 a month to see all NHL games, but I cant watch any Knights games unless they are televised nationally.

 

Logically making no sense.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Big game for the Knights tomorrow night.

4 point swing game vs Tampa Bay in president trophy race.

 

Logically speaking an extended losing streak has to come. But this team defies logic

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Talk about sportsmanship. Late first period tonight’s game, James Neal flinched from a stick to his face. Referee stopped play to call penalty, Neal went over to referee and said it did not hit him. No penalty called. Don’t see that done very often. Very classy.

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I was at the game and wondering how that penalty got called back! That's insane! Kharma, this team is magic. I go to every home game and they just play so consistent throughout they are so tough to beat at home. It's not just Vegas Flu, the energy level and the crowd is electric.

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They might be the best team in the NHL right now.

 

It's crazy to even type that.

 

They started the year playing ok, and getting pretty lucky. An impressive display from an expansion team, but I fully expected them to fall back to earth. As the year has gone on, the team ahs been performing better and better, and the results have gotten better and better. If you look at the last 15-20 games, they are the best team in the league by possession numbers, and by results. I don't watch enough of their games (see: none) to have a good understanding of how they are doing it, but it's damn impressive.

 

I was skeptical after the expansion draft. I thought they made mistakes. I was skeptical after the first 20 games or so. I kept expecting major regression to the mean. Now, I am fully on board. I still expect a small amount of regression, but this team is legitimately good.

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There has to be regression. There is no way the team can go deep in the playoffs?

 

Logically it would make no sense.

 

But the team defies logic.

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I've watched every minute of every game and have a really good idea as to "how they are doing it."

 

1. System- this team plays like no other team in the league. Using a basketball analogy they essentially play a full court press all game on defense, and a transition fast break team on offense. If they kept a stat for the quickest team in the league that causes a turnover then moves the puck up ice, no other team would be close. They play an up tempo high variance game and constantly are looking for odd man rushes that lead to lots of high quality chances. Most teams win the puck, possess it, look for what options are available, then decide to make a play. Not this team. It's instantaneous. Blind passes, stretch passes, quick transition and it catches teams on their heels constantly. They are more effective 5 on 5 in transition than they are on the power play in relation to most teams. Power plays don't play to their strengths, but they more than make up for that with their 5 on 5 play.

The other key reason this system can work is that George McPhee drafted SPEED. There isn't just one line to key in on, all four lines play a very similar up tempo style that depends heavily on speed in transition.

 

2. Rolling 4 lines- That rolls into my next point nicely, the use of all four lines and all three defensive pairings. On most teams you will see all-star minute munchers on the back end playing upwards of 30 minutes a game. On Vegas, their top d-man in terms of average ice time is Nate Schmidt clocking in at just 22 minutes a game. Everyone plays. Most teams use their fourth line sparingly, as little as possible. This team's fourth line is used often and have developed a real chemistry. They possess the puck, and while they don't score a lot of goals, when they are out there, neither does the other team.

When defending this team, you can't just focus on one speedy line and then take a break in between those shifts. They come at you in waves. Consistent in their approach, and while the 4th line plays a bit more of a North-South game, the other three lines played an incredibly similar style of hockey. Teams get no time to catch their breath, it's constant pressure for 60 minutes.

 

3. Discipline- They don't take penalties! I believe they rank as the second least penalized team in the league. Vegas also ranks in the bottom five in total hits. Outside of Brayden McNabb and William Carrier, this team isn't built to punish opponents physically. They don't take many dumb penalties being overly aggressive. The focus is on winning the puck, and turning it up ice as quickly as possible.

 

4. Trust- This is where I shower heavy praise on coach Gerard Gallant. The players love him. He was the perfect coach for the job. Unlike a John Tortorella, this is a players coach for a new team of guys who may be coming in with bruised egos after being let go by their previous team. The last thing they needed was a guy barking at them that they suck. Gallant earned their trust and has the players, to a man, believing in the system. Not many teams can say that losing their best player wouldn't have a major impact on their success, but Vegas is unique, in that, no one player is bigger than the system. Somebody goes down, next guy up is plugged into the system and gets the job done.

 

5. Chemistry- This team had the opportunity to bond early with the tragedy we saw in Las Vegas a week before the home opener. They were out in the community showing their support after the tragedy, and while it's hard to gauge how much closer an event like that can bring people together, I wouldn't underestimate it. These guys seem to really like each other. This high tempo style relies on players knowing where each other is going to be and the chemistry on this team developed rapidly and is undeniable. They all share the bond of being either underestimated, underutilized, or underpaid by their previous team. They play every night with a chip on their shoulder. Every night there is a player on that team with something to prove. Whether it's Marc-Andre Fleury showing the Pens that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank, or William Karlsson putting on a clinic against Columbus letting them know that had he been given a chance, he could have been the all-star for them that he is for this team.

 

They might be the best team in the NHL right now.

 

It's crazy to even type that.

 

They started the year playing ok, and getting pretty lucky. An impressive display from an expansion team, but I fully expected them to fall back to earth. As the year has gone on, the team ahs been performing better and better, and the results have gotten better and better. If you look at the last 15-20 games, they are the best team in the league by possession numbers, and by results. I don't watch enough of their games (see: none) to have a good understanding of how they are doing it, but it's damn impressive.

 

I was skeptical after the expansion draft. I thought they made mistakes. I was skeptical after the first 20 games or so. I kept expecting major regression to the mean. Now, I am fully on board. I still expect a small amount of regression, but this team is legitimately good.

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  • 2 months later...

I watched almost every minute of this series and they are rarely out of position. Anytime I though the Kings were going to break out on an odd man rush, Vegas always had enough players back.

 

If it wasn't for Quick this series would have been over in 3 games!

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  • 3 weeks later...

It just keeps happening. It has to stop in the next series right?

 

Winnipeg or Nashville is too strong right?

 

I just don’t know anymore. But wow.

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Tomas Tatar who cost the team the most of any player( i could be wrong) cant make the lineup..This is how messed up and upside down things are ..Its like a coaches dream. We have no individuals, its a team of no superstars..Maybe they will change the way teams are put together..

 

But please no more..

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It just keeps happening. It has to stop in the next series right?

 

Winnipeg or Nashville is too strong right?

 

I just don’t know anymore. But wow.

 

Nashville would get smoked by Vegas as they wouldn’t be able to keep up in transition.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I don’t think anyone can say the NHL is trying to help Las Vegas win. Washington/Tampa game 7 was Wednesday and Vegas/Winnipeg game 7 if required would of been Thursday. Cup Finals Game 1 should of been Saturday or latest on Sunday. A Monday start will nullify some of the Washington fatigue and give them a chance. Should be a fun series with 2 big storylines “ovechkin” vs “expansion team”

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