Vegas Golden Knights: 3 burning questions entering Stanley Cup Playoffs
What concerns do the Vegas Golden Knights have as the Stanley Cup Playoffs approach?
The Vegas Golden Knights are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third time in their third season. They’ve had a remarkable amount of success considering this is merely their third season. However, the Golden Knights have yet to lift the Stanley Cup.
On paper, the Golden Knights have as strong of a chance as any team to finally lift Lord Stanley. They’re one of the most well-balanced teams in not just the Western Conference, but the entire NHL. The Golden Knights are well-coached and have one of the strongest rosters in the league. And despite being a young team, they aren’t lacking in terms of postseason experience.
However, there are some burning questions the Golden Knights face. In order to lift the Stanley Cup, they’ll have to answer them. Here’s a look at three questions that the Knights must answer to truly become Stanley Cup contenders.
Can they win on neutral ice?
Home-ice advantage is important in the NHL. Few, if any, teams in the league have the home-ice advantage the Golden Knights have. A lack of home-ice advantage could be a bad thing for the Golden Knights.
Since entering the league at the start of the 2017-18 season, the Knights have the fifth-highest point percentage at home in the NHL. This season, they rank eighth. The Golden Knights haven’t been quite as effective on the road. They have the 13th-highest point percentage this season on the road. Over the past three seasons, the Golden Knights rank 10th.
The Golden Knights are still a good team on the road, mind you. But at home, they’re a great team. The Golden Knights are going to have to be a great team in order to win the Stanley Cup. And they’re going to be one away from the rowdy confines of T-Mobile Arena.
Will the Golden Knights lineup gel?
To win the Stanley Cup, your lineup needs to gel. The Golden Knights lineup hasn’t been healthy for a little bit. They’ve been missing both Mark Stone and Alex Tuch since February. Nate Schmidt, Jonathan Marchessault, and Chandler Stephenson have each missed playing time as well.
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When the Golden Knights have all their forward lines rolling, they can be a lethal team. The Knights have six forwards who have at least 15 goals. Four of them have at least 20. The Golden Knights need to spread out their scoring talent. In order to do that, head coach Peter DeBoer is going to need to find the right spots in the lineup for Tuch and Stephenson.
It’s equally important for the Golden Knights blueline to gel. That, however, is less of a concern because the Golden Knights have been icing the same pairings when healthy for most of the season. Between Nate Schmidt and Shea Theodore, the Golden Knights have two very effective two-way defensemen. Where does Alec Martinez fit in? That’ll be an important question for Vegas.
All of that said, the Golden Knights have time. They’ll have an exhibition game, plus the round-robin tournament to figure things out. If they do, the entire league should be on notice.
1. What’s Up With Their Goaltending?
The Vegas Golden Knights greatest strength might be their goaltending. Between veterans Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner, no team in the NHL has a more effective tandem. However, that strength might also be a bit of a weakness.
Let me explain. The Golden Knights probably don’t have a number one goalie at this point. Lehner came to the Golden Knights on Feb. 24. Since then, the Knights have played seven games, not including the one on the 24th. Lehner has started three of those games while Fleury has started four.
My big question for the Golden Knights is this – who’s getting the nod in net? Will the Golden Knights go with Lehner, who they gave up quite a bit to acquire at the trade deadline? Or will they turn to Fleury, who has more postseason experience?
Managing a goaltending tandem in the Stanley Cup Playoffs can be done. The Pittsburgh Penguins did it quite well in 2016-17. But if you’re going to do it, it’s got to be done perfectly. If you pull a goalie, their confidence might be shattered and you might not be able to go back to them.]
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Lehner and Fleury give the Golden Knights options. And it’s certainly a blessing to have two NHL caliber goaltenders, let alone two as good as those two. But if the Golden Knights aren’t careful, that blessing could become a curse.