Original Golden Knights eager to finish job in Stanley Cup Final

DALLAS -- The Vegas Golden Knights had just made the Stanley Cup Final, defeating the Dallas Stars 6-0 in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final at American Airlines Center on Monday.

The players were putting on Western Conference champions hats, waiting for NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly to award the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, when a few of them looked back to 2017-18.

Six of the Golden Knights were part of the run to the Cup Final in Vegas' inaugural season only to lose to the Washington Capitals in five games: forwards William Carrier, William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith and defensemen Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore.

Fittingly, Karlsson had two goals and an assist Monday. Carrier had a goal and an assist. Marchessault had a goal. Smith had two assists.

Now the "Golden Misfits," as they were known then, have a chance to finish what they started. They will play the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; TNT, TBS, truTV, SN, CBC, TVAS).

"Obviously, the guys were talking about it on the ice," said Marchessault, whom Vegas selected from Florida in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. "You go through ups and downs. To be back and battling with those guys and being back here, I think that's an opportunity of a lifetime, and we've got to take full advantage of it."

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Much has changed since 2017-18. When the Golden Knights joined the NHL, they didn't have low expectations. They had no expectations. When they won the Pacific Division and made the Cup Final, they shocked the hockey world.

Expectations skyrocketed afterward, and Vegas pursued the Cup aggressively and unapologetically, parting with popular coaches and players, bringing in high-end talent, and pushing the limits of the salary cap. They enjoyed great success by most every measure but their own.

The Golden Knights lost to the San Jose Sharks in seven games in the first round in 2019, the Stars in five games in the conference final in 2020 and the Montreal Canadiens in six games in the NHL Semifinals in 2021. They missed the playoffs for the first time last season.

Vegas won the West in the regular season and now has won it in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, eliminating the Winnipeg Jets in five games in the first round, the Edmonton Oilers in six in the second and the Stars in six in the third.

Eight other Vegas players have been part of the past two or three runs: forwards Keegan Kolesar (two), Nicolas Roy (three), Chandler Stephenson (three) and Mark Stone (three) and defensemen Nicolas Hague (two), Alec Martinez (three), Alex Pietrangelo (two) and Zach Whitecloud (three).

"A lot of emotions," said Stone, the captain, whom the Golden Knights acquired from the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 25, 2019. "It starts with missing the playoffs last year, management and ownership giving this group another chance to come back and go at it again. It shows a lot of trust in the players.

"We had one goal at the start of the season: get better every day and put ourselves in the opportunity to play for the Stanley Cup, and now we have that chance."

After taking a 3-0 lead in the conference final, the Golden Knights lost Games 4 and 5. Coach Bruce Cassidy said they had "a little honest conversation" Sunday night about their ultimate goal, saying, "It's OK to dream a little bit." They drilled down on the details of how they were going to win Game 6 on Monday.

"We have some veteran guys in the room, so credit to them," said Cassidy, in his first season with Vegas. "They've been through it, and here we are. We took another step. We got through this to the Final. Now the conversation becomes, it's about finishing the job."

Marchessault said he remembers being more excited the first time Vegas made the Cup Final, and he added, "The hardest hockey is to come. Our best game is to come as well. Never be satisfied, and always focus on the next game."

Karlsson said Vegas' first season was a whirlwind. This one has not been.

"Everything was just kind of flowing," said Karlsson, whom the Golden Knights selected from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the expansion draft. "I don't know. Maybe took it for granted a little bit back then. Now five, six years later, there's been ups and downs, and you realize that this opportunity doesn't come around too often, so I think maybe that's the biggest difference."

Carrier said the Golden Knights have grown more mature. To them, the conference final was just another series. Unlike the first time, they didn't touch the Campbell Bowl. That's not the trophy they want.

"It'll never be finished until we raise that Cup," said Carrier, whom the Golden Knights selected from the Buffalo Sabres in the expansion draft. "I got kind of that feeling where the boys really want more here."