nhl playoffs

2018 Stanley Cup – Vegas Odds of Sweeping Round One Just Went Up

April 16, 2018 by 3quartersimages

NHL Stanley Cup – Vegas Odds are Now for a SWEEP!

To all the naysayers that gave the Stanley Cup Vegas odds of being eliminated in the first round, you are WRONG. Again.

Yes, the Vegas Golden Knights are proving themselves a force to be reckoned with not only during the regular season but during the Stanley Cup playoffs. They now take the lead for the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs 3-0 over the LA Kings and break another record.

The Vegas Golden Knights are now the FIRST team to win their three games in the playoffs during their inaugural season.

Many said it was only the home-ice advantage that gave the Golden Knights the first game win and the double-overtime win in Round 1: Game 2. Well, that excuse can’t be used anymore as the Vegas odds are now for a sweep of the first round.

The @GoldenKnights are the third franchise in NHL history to win each of their first 3+ playoff games and the only club to do so in its inaugural season. #NHLStats #VGKvsLAK #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/5vfw0VwqCd

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 16, 2018

NHL Playoff Round 1: Game 3 Stats and Highlights

This time it wasn’t just a battle of the goalies as the LA Kings were first to score in the first period. But that didn’t discourage the Knights. It was a physical game, especially the first period with four players in the penalty box in just six minutes.

It wasn’t until the third period when the Golden Knights rallied and gave the LA Kings a wake-up call. The Kings might have thought they had the game won when the Knights didn’t put anything on the scoreboard by the third period. But again, they were wrong.

The first score by Cody Eakin was followed by James Neal and twenty seconds later. William Karlsson. It went from a 1-0 game for the Kings to 1-3 very quickly. They tried to rally and come back with a score by Jake Muzzini but it was not enough.

Watch the Game 3 highlights in the video above. The NHL Announcers are having a hard time keeping up with the commentary the play is so fast. This is what great hockey looks like.

If you have never been an NHL hockey fan before this will make you wonder where the game has been all your life.

Again Nate Schmidt clocked the longest time on the ice with 24:07 minutes during regulation and more players added Stanley Cup playoff wins to their records.

The Vegas Golden Knights hockey team does not rely on a few stars. They are successful because they play as a team from the first line to the fourth line. In the first three games, not one player has scored twice. The goals are even between six players at one goal apiece.

What are the NHL Stanley Cup – Vegas Odds Now?

(Do we have any betters out there?)

Erik Haula : Vegas Golden Knights Hero of Round 1: Game 2

April 15, 2018 by 3quartersimages

Erik Haula the Hero of the Day for the Golden Knights

Erik Haula became the hero of the game with his “Golden Goal” at the 15:23 mark of the second overtime.

History is being written during every game and the longest game for both the Vegas Golden Knights and the LA Kings is now in the books. It was also his first overtime goal in his career.

As he said in an ESPN interview “That’s one of the best feelings in sports”

Las Vegas hockey fans thought they had watched history during the first game, but the 18,588 fans in attendance at the T-mobile Arena were NOT expecting this. I’ll bet Erik Haula wasn’t expecting this.

You can’t get any more exciting than how this game ended. Now in addition to the Xantex and high blood pressure medication, you have to add laryngitis and throat lozenges to your hockey game kit.

By the end of the NHL Stanley Cup season, you may have a legitimate illness to call in sick to work. You can call it Golden Knight Fever.”

2018 Stanley Cup Round 1: Game 2 Knights vs Kings

The Vegas Knights not only dominated the ice defensively during the first three periods but ruled the ice in both overtime periods. At the end of three periods, it was a tie, one score a piece.

Erik Haula shirt – Vegas Golden Knight apparel Erik Haula Jersey – Authentic NHL jerseys for the Las Vegas Golden Knights

You have to give props and credit where it is due. LA Goaltender Jonathan Quick had 56 Shots on goal (SOG) and stopped 54 of them from the Golden Knights. The Knights were “quick”, they were fast and only got faster during overtime. The Kings were just trying to keep up! In contrast, the Kings only had 30 SOG.

Nate Schmidt led the time on ice for the Knights at 37:19 and there was probably no one happier about the goal than him. Between the fast pace and the length of the game and the adrenaline rush

How Many Periods in Hockey?

Normally there are three periods lasting 20 minutes for regulation play. However, there are NO ties in NHL Playoff hockey. The teams keep scoring until a goal is scored, 5 fans on 5, full strength, full excitement! It is only broken when the “Golden Goal” is scored that breaks the tie.

With a best of seven series in the Stanley Cup format, it’s a battle of strength, longevity and may the “best team win”. It’s an adrenaline rush for the players and fan alike. You can see some of the craziness in the crowd during the opening and it was even crazier during overtime.

Longest Game in NHL History

This was NOT the longest game in NHL history, although to many, especially those watching on TV in the Eastern time zone, it FELT like it. The longest Stanley Cup game was between the Bruins and the Blackhawks during Game one of the 2013 Stanley Cup that went into THREE overtimes and latest 112 minutes and 8 seconds.

The Las Vegas Golden Knight fans are almost guaranteed another game in Las Vegas with already having won two games. The best the Kings can do is win two and that WON’T happen.

It would be sweet to sweep the first round of the NHL playoffs and break another NHL record. (Does anyone have a list somewhere of all the records broken so far) However, as fans, we want as many games at home as possible.

The advantage of a sweep is a rest for our players, this would then give us an added advantage in the second round against the Duck or the Sharks.

So GO Knights GO!!

Vegas Golden Knights – Stanley Cup Playoff Inaugural Debut

April 13, 2018 by 3quartersimages

Inaugural Trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs

So, how did it feel Vegas hockey fans?

Was it great? Did it get your blood pumping for more? Are you ready for more?
I’ll bet your answer is yes, but first, make sure you take you Xantex and high blood pressure medication.

The scene at T-Mobile arena was insane, simply insane. The fans were over the top, the opening to the game was over the top. The fast pace was over the top. To top it off, we WON!!

The opening poked fun at those doubters who scoffed at hockey in the desert. You either love or hate, but it is pure Vegas, you can’t expect anything less.

From the time the spotlight hit the ice, the regular season ticket holders knew what was about to begin. The spectacle was modified just a little from regular season narration, but this little piece of Vegas is a reminder to everyone that this city is different and we DO IT differently.

Vegas Golden Knights- Stanley Cup Highlights (1st round, game one)

For longtime NHL hockey fans, this is what playoff season is all about. For the Golden Knights fans, many new to the sport, this is new and simply breathtaking. NHL hockey has never had a better chance to gain new fans to the sport. We have at least four more games if we win the first best out of seven. If this stretches to the full seven games in the first round then we may see fans start dropping from excitement.

The Vegas Golden Knights were certainly playing playoff level hockey. They were fast, they outplayed and outscored the Los Angeles Kings 1-0. It wasn’t a high scoring game, but it didn’t need to be, the Knights still put one in the win column.

Shea Theodore scored the only goal with a giant slapshot from the blue line (or near it) at the first period 16:37 mark. The Vegas fourth line dominated the scoring opportunities. This is what sets Vegas apart, we have FOUR lines who can produce, not like three. Many teams use their fourth line as a “training camp” or back up so to speak. But the Golden Knights trade lines on a regular basis for fast play and throw off the opponent.

Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 30 shots and LA’s Quick stopped 27, with such a low scoring game it was a goalie fans dream.

The drama between the Golden Knights and the Kings has already begun with William Carrier taking an illegal check from Kings defenseman Drew Doughty. Doughty will miss Game 2 of the series. But, you can be sure that if Ryan Reaves, the newly acquired enforcer gets on the ice during this series it will be physical.

Isn’t that what we love about hockey? My Dad used to say, “Yup, you go to a fight and a hockey breaks out. That’s when you know it’s good.”

Next up Golden Knights Stanley Cup Journey? – Dominating Game TWO!

Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Playoffs! How Did It Happen?

April 11, 2018 by 3quartersimages

Just HOW Did The Golden Knights Get to the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

The fans know, the experts are still baffled. Yes, the loyal fanatical Las Vegas fan base predicted their team would be “Chasing the Cup” come April.

Some were skeptical and trying to put realistic goals in place early in the season. But down in their hearts they were hoping and praying for a spectacular season.

Vegas Golden Knights Fanatics Branded 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs Bound Hip Check T-Shirt – Black Vegas Golden Knights Fanatics Branded 2018 Pacific Division Champions Locker Room Adjustable Hat – White Vegas Golden Knights Fanatics Branded 2018 Pacific Division Champions All Time Save T-Shirt – Black Vegas Golden Knights Fanatics Branded 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs Bound Behind The Net T-Shirt – Black

Without a doubt, the Vegas Golden Knights rightly earned a true spot in the NHL Playoffs by earning 109 points during the season. It wasn’t even a last-ditch effort to “barely” squeak in under the wire.

What is the Golden Knight Team Magic?

In the beginning of the season article after article ragged on this desperate team in the desert. Predictions placed the team last in the NHL standings. The reason? No star players. Yes, they got Fleury, but a goalie doesn’t score goals.

Ok, we will give them James Neal, but who else do they have? A scrabble list of “castoffs” nobody had really heard of and who had not “put up the numbers” on their previous teams. Even Coach Gallant was a castoff.

They assembled in Las Vegas during the summer of 2017, knowing a little bit about each other and decided to go out and play the best hockey anyone has ever seen. They stepped on the ice with nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Then MAGIC happened. Golden Knight Magic Players clicked. Egos? Nonexistent.

Teamwork and leadership that is the magic. Playing with abandon, proving to previous teams they were not only worthy of keeping was not their only goal. It was literally spraying ice in the face of teammates as they stepped onto the previous home ice as new stars of NHL hockey. They played with injuries, backups, and kept plugging away. No excuses.

Even when Marc-Andre Fleury was out at the beginning of the season the magic continued with Malcolm Subban, then he was injured in October and Oscar Danske stepped in to earn the first shutout in Vegas Golden Knight history. Danske was injured too and Maxime Lagace was called up. It didn’t stop there and the Golden Knights didn’t stop winning. Dylan Ferguson, a 19-year-old from the WHL also got ice time between the pipes.

The Hockey World was stunned.

This shouldn’t be happening. Many NHL teams spend years on assembling the right team, negotiating for trades, grooming goaltenders and trying to find “line magic.” Even with all the “experts” and analysis, the same teams haven’t made it to an NHL Playoff in years. So when the Vegas Knights clinched a playoff spot after their inaugural season jealousy it shook up the entire hockey league.

The Hockey Company 2018 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS 1st ROUND PUCK DUELING TEAMS GOLDEN KNIGHTS KINGS ROUND 1 PRE-ORDER 2018 GOLDEN KNIGHTS PUCK OFFICIAL PLAYOFF GAME VERSION 1ST 2ND ROUNDS The Hockey Company 2018 GOLDEN KNIGHTS PIN DIVISION PLAYOFF DANGLER STYLE STANLEY CUPPRE-ORDER ITEM – SHIPPING BEGINS ON Football Fanatics Vegas Golden Knights Authentic Pro NHL 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs Flex Hat (M/L)

The NHL Takes Notice of the Las Vegas

After winning more than 30 games before the end of 2017, and having the best NHL home record in the league, the media started paying attention.

Articles started turning from the castoffs of the NHL to excuses on why teams were losing in Las Vegas. How many did you hear? Easy early schedule and then Vegas Flu, which is still the most popular excuse. Some say it is home ice advantage with the noise and “Las Vegas” style hockey show.

Others remind us of the tragic events of October 1, 2017. The tearful home opening ceremonies which bonded the team with their fans and the players with their city.

But, in reality, it is the Vegas Golden Knight players who make the difference. They skate fast, they work as a team and they don’t let anything rattle them. All season they never had a four-game losing streak, which is pretty unheard of in a professional sport with so many games.

The Las Vegas Hockey fans fuel this team

Probably the biggest secret to the success of this expansion NHL team is the fan base. A diehard base in Las Vegas was hungry for a true professional sports team. From the outside looking in, hockey doesn’t seem a natural fit in a desert environment where summers get over 100F and winter barely can create ice outside.

But the fans continue to surprise the NHL and the sports world. Not only have the players’ broken records on the ice, but the fans have broken records buying more NHL Golden Knight apparel and merchandise than any other team this season.

Ok, it’s a new team, and everyone is starting from scratch with no team jerseys or shirts. But many fans don’t just have one jersey, they have several, home and away jerseys and favorite player jerseys. They have VGK hats, water bottles, and are making blankets, and decorating their homes with flags and framed player memorabilia of Neals first score or William Karlsson’s short-hand goal.

Vegas Golden Knights Fanatics Authentic Framed 15 William Karlsson Vegas Golden Knights Fanatics Authentic Framed Autographed 16

Vegas Golden Knight fan groups and pages proliferated on Facebook. (Including ours, check it out) Watch parties were organized for away games, and home games for those who couldn’t get tickets. Yes, T-Mobile arena is sold out for EVERY game. A far cry from most other NHL teams. It didn’t take long before other teams wanted to be “us”.

Player and Fan Accessibility is the Key to the Golden Knight Story

Owner Bill Foley and the team behind the players may not of know what they were doing when they built City National Arena (CNA) in Summerville Nevada. But I believe it is truly key to the success of the team.

The CNA is not just the home office and practice arena for the team, it is also a multi-purpose community center. There is activity there from morning to late evening with not only the players but fans and families.

The CNA houses two ice arenas which host youth, men, and women hockey leagues. Figure skating lessons and free skate is also offered. Upstairs is a restaurant, bar and multi-use rooms where dance lessons are held for the community youth. One teacher-Mom once told me they pretty much live at the CNA center, if it’s not hockey, it’s dance for her daughter.

The best thing about the CNA Center – Open Vegas Golden Knight practice

First, gather a team, then gather the fans, add the youth and you get Magic!

This is what happens during open to the public practice at the CNA Center. Magic!

It is the BEST way for fans who can’t afford tickets to get up close and personal with the players. The players, in turn, feed off the energy and enthusiasm of the fans. When Marc-Andre Fleury gives your seven-year-old son his stick that creates a life-long fan. It creates a fan who immerses themselves in the hockey experience and it becomes a family passion and changes their life.

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