The #1 seed in the NHL’s Western Conference, the Vegas Golden Knights, begin their quest for a title when they host the 8th seeded Winnipeg Jets Tuesday night in the opener of their best-of-seven first round series.
The puck drops at 9:30 p.m. ET at T-Mobile Arena where Vegas is a -140 moneyline favorite. At BetOnline, the Knights are -1.5/+185 on the puckline while the total is 5.5. The Jets are +127 and +1.5/-215.
In addition Vegas is a -155 series favorite (Winnipeg is +135). They are currently listed behind Colorado and Edmonton as the third choice to win the Western Conference.
Vegas Golden Knights (51-22-4, #1 seed)
The Knights had an impressive final kick with a 5-0-3 record to set up the first-round series with the Winnipeg Jets. Vegas finished with 111 points and will have home ice throughout the West playoffs.
The Golden Knights swept the season series 3-0 winning twice at home 5-2 and 2-1. The last meeting between the two teams was back on December 13 when Vegas skated to a 6-5 victory in Winnipeg.
The Eichel Factor
This will be Jack Eichel’s first playoff series and he’ll finally get to play on the big stage. He was picked #2 in the 2015 NHL draft behind Connor McDavid of Edmonton. He led Vegas this season with 66 points and was second on the team with 27 goals. Here’s Eichel scoring against his former team the Buffalo Sabres:
Jack Eichel scores and then gives it to the Buffalo crowd 😨😳 pic.twitter.com/hTTEAAkCFW
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 11, 2022
The Golden Knights finished with six 50-point scorers and eight 40-point scorers. Chandler Stephenson was had 65 points while Johnathan Marchessault led the team with 28 goals including a nifty power play score:
Jonathan Marchessault scores a power-play goal against the Seattle Kraken to make it 4-1 #VGKvsSEA #VegasBorn #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/W0oHIzDK7E
— nopClips (@nopClips) April 12, 2023
As if this deep and talented Vegas team needed more help, they got it. Captain Mark Stone, who underwent back surgery on Jan. 31, has been activated to play in Game 1. Stone hasn’t played since Jan. 12 but at the time of his injury, Stone was second in scoring on the Golden Knights with 17 goals and 38 points in 43 games.
The captain!
Mark Stone wins it with a late goal for the Knights (+100) ⚔️
— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) October 12, 2022
The 30-year-old has 23 goals and 27 assists in 73 career playoff games
Winnipeg Jets (46-33-3, 8th seed)
Winnipeg wrapped up a postseason berth in its final game of the season, eliminating both Calgary and Nashville in the process. The Jets 95 points was the lowest total among qualifying Western Conference teams. But despite being the eight-seed, Winnipeg could make a deep run on the back of its elite goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck:
CONNOR HELLEBUYCK SAID "WE'RE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS, BOYS" 🥶 pic.twitter.com/xj56QMHqh0
— NHL (@NHL) April 12, 2023
Laurent Brossoit, who was 7-0-3 with a 2.17 goals against average and a .927 save percentage in 11 games this season, will start in goal for the Golden Knights against the Jets. It will be his first postseason start and will come against his former team and mentor Hellebuyck.
What to Look For
Vegas has the deepest roster in the Western Conference and gets scoring from almost everyone in the lineup. But if there’s a goaltender built to stop an offense that comes in waves, it’s Hellebuyck.
Previous playoff history
These teams have met once in the postseason in their franchise history. Vegas defeated Winnipeg in five games in the 2018 Western Conference Finals: Vegas’ inaugural season.
Bottom line
Blink and you’ll miss this series. Vegas is too deep, too experienced and their home ice advantage is the real deal. Look for the Golden Knights to advance in five games.
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