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The Vegas Golden Knights lost to the Edmonton Oilers 1-0 in overtime on Thursday night. Their run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is over after winning just one game in the second round. There were plenty of reasons why the Golden Knights lost this series, but coach Bruce Cassidy points the finger at himself.
“I wouldn't say this was our best in this series. So that's where I'm going to walk away and ask myself what I could have done better to get more out of this group,” Cassidy said, per SinBin Vegas.
The Golden Knights had home-ice advantage in this series but lost the first two games in The Fortress. That put Edmonton in a great position to sweep the Knights, and they may have if not for a miracle. Riley Smith scored a game-winning goal with less than a half-second left in Game 3 to salvage a win. But the rest of the series, it was all Oilers.
The Golden Knights have been a staple in the playoffs since their inception in 2017. In eight seasons, they have made seven postseason appearances and four conference final runs, including their Cup win and Cup loss. This year, they did not get out of the second round.
The Golden Knights played exactly the game they wanted to on Thursday. But without Mark Stone, who missed the game with an injury, their offense could not take advantage. They kept the Oilers at bay for all of regulation and over 12 minutes of overtime, but could not hold them off any longer.
There are a lot of questions to answer for the Golden Knights this offseason. Jack Eichel is eligible for an extension on July 1 and is under contract for only one more year. They already extended Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb, which could lead to the end of Nicolas Hague's run in Vegas.
What is next for Bruce Cassidy and the Golden Knights?
