Every single season in the NHL, a few teams come out of nowhere to deliver a memorable season for their fans. What they do in those cases is set a bar that they need to try and reach, or surpass, every single season thereafter. That is a task that is much easier said than done, especially when that team make a deep run in the playoffs after starting the year as a bit of a longshot. It’s easy to forget that the St. Louis Blues were sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference last season before making a coaching switch that seemed to spur on the entire team. The rest, as they say, is history. As great as that accomplishment was, it does still pale in comparison to seeing the Vegas Golden Knights make it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, where they ultimately lost, in their inaugural season. This is year 3 for the Golden Knights, who are looking to make their third straight appearance in the postseason. If it were to start with today’s standings, Vegas would face the Winnipeg Jets in the opening round. Let’s take a look at how that series might play out along with their NHL Odds and Stanley Cup Odds for the Golden Knights vs Jets.
Golden Knights vs Jets if Stanley Cup Playoffs Started Today
The Golden Knights and Jets Season to Date
The Golden Knights have been involved in a bit of a battle in the Pacific Division, with no less than 5 different teams taking a turn at the top over the past few months. While the other 4 teams played some inconsistent hockey, the Golden Knights went on a run that took them to the top with a 39-24-8 record. They went into the lockdown having won 8 of their last 10 games, so not the best time for the season to be paused. The Golden Knights would have home ice advantage in this series, which is good news for a team that is 22-11-4 in their own building.
The battle for playoff spots in the Western Conference is about as tight as it gets at the moment, with the Winnipeg Jets currently clinging to one of the two Wild Card spots. Overall on the season, the Jets are sitting at 37-28-6, which is good for 80 points, and which also has them just 2 points back of the Dallas Stars for third in the Central Division. The Jets were on a great run before things closed down, winning 4 in a row prior to that point. They also have a winning record on the road, so playing an extra game in Vegas is not a huge deal.
XIThe Golden Knights and Jets Head to Head
What we are seeing a lot in these potential playoff matchups is that the lower seeded teams are actually having the better of things in the regular season meetings. That is certainly the case here, with the Jets winning both games, home and away, against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Golden Knights and Jets Series Prediction
This is a series that I think could well end up going the distance, which is not what happened the last time they met in the postseason. The Golden Knights won that one in 5 on their way to the Final, but I think it would take them 7 games to get through here.
