The reigning Stanley Cup champions’ playoff run ended after just one round on Sunday night… but it’s certainly not for lack of trying.
The Vegas Golden Knights lost by a margin of one goal the seventh game of a close matchup against the Dallas Stars, game after game.
Excluding empty-net goals, each matchup was decided by a one-goal margin.
After an advantageous start to the series on the Stars’ ice, the Knights dropped four of the next five results to find themselves on vacation.
Vegas captain Mark Stone, who returned just in time for the start of the match after two months of inactivity, did not hide his disappointment at seeing the title defense end so quickly.
“I’m proud of the team. We faced a ton of adversity. Several of our guys were injured. We still gave ourselves a chance, but it’s disappointing. That’s really the only way I can put it into words: it’s disappointing,” Stone said in the minutes following the ultimate defeat.
Nine operations
Head coach Bruce Cassidy recalled that nine different skaters from his club had to go under the knife since October.
“Nine of our 23 players have undergone operations this season. (…) I have to give credit to our guys. They worked very hard to get back up to their abilities, to try to recreate chemistry. That’s what I find sad about the story, but at the end of the day, we needed an additional goal and we didn’t get it,” observed the instructor.
Cassidy believes some of his players will be “sleepless” over some missed high-quality scoring opportunities during this decisive game.
“There was this post [de Jonathan Marchessault] at the end of the first, then a missed open net [par Jack Eichel] at the end of the second. Then they come back with a quick goal at the start of the third. That’s kind of the story behind this result,” Cassidy said.
“We had a chance to beat a very good hockey team, and we didn’t accomplish that mission,” said Vegas No. 61, before going on to proclaim that he “absolutely” sees his Knights “ return to action in 12 months.”
“They say winning becomes an addiction, and it is. I live for this. Most of us share this feeling. So it really hurts your soul for a few days [d’être éliminé] “, underlined Stone, who was limited to three goals (and no assists) in the playoffs.
One of the Knights’ other big leaders, Alex Pietrangelo, spoke about the need to come back with the same motivation next fall.
“I don’t think you can go into a season without having the expectation of winning everything. I don’t believe our staff built the team without this expectation. So now we go back to the drawing board,” explained the veteran defender.
