‘Golden Misfits’
Castoffs lead underdog Vegas Golden Knights into Stanley Cup final
A group of players nobody wanted – the self-proclaimed ‘Golden Misfits’ – are heading to the Stanley Cup final.
Ryan Reaves scored the game-winning goal, Marcandre Fleury made 31 saves and the expansion Vegas Golden Knights continued their improbable run by defeating the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 on Sunday to win the best-of-seven Western Conference final 4-1.
A franchise that had just two players under contract at this time last year before filling out the rest of its initial roster with castoffs from the league’s other 30 clubs in the expansion draft is now just four wins from hockey’s ultimate prize.
“Everybody on this team has something to prove,” said Reaves, a tough guy acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins prior to February’s trade deadline. “We call ourselves ‘The Golden Misfits’ for a reason.
“We’re doing a good job of proving everybody wrong.” They certainly are.
After the Jets cancelled out Alex Tuch’s opener late in the first period, Reaves tipped home Luca Sbisa’s point shot for his first goal with Vegas to silence the white-clad crowd at Bell MTS Place with 6:39 left in the second.
A Winnipeg native, Reaves didn’t see action in the playoffs until the clincher of the Knights’ 4-2 series victory over the San Jose Sharks in the second round.
His last goal before Sunday came 3 1/2 months ago while still with Pittsburgh, but the 31-year-old’s unlikely contribution is just the latest example of a team with an incredible work ethic finding a way.
“The guys that weren’t playing, myself included, we stayed ready,” said Reaves, who munched on a couple slices of pizza before fielding questions from reporters. “We had fun while we were doing it, but we worked hard so when we were called upon we were ready to go.”
The Knights lost Game 1 of the series in Winnipeg before ripping off four straight victories where they never trailed to become the first team since the St. Louis Blues in 1968 to advance to the Cup final in its inaugural campaign.
Fleury stopped 151 of 161 shots in the series, and allowed just six goals the rest of the way after giving up four in the opener.
“Everybody’s stepping up at different times,” said Fleury, the face of the franchise since Day 1. “That’s a big reason why we’ve been playing consistently.”
Vegas will meet either the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Washington Capitals in the Cup final. Tampa Bay leads the Eastern Conference final 3-2, with Game 6 set for Monday in Washington.
“It’s insane,” said Knights defenceman Deryk Engelland, who grabbed the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl after the final buzzer to celebrate with his teammates. “Your goal (at the start of the season) is always to make the playoffs. But if I were to guess I would be sitting here doing this right now, you would be a little skeptical at the time.
“It’s been an amazing ride. We just want to keep it going now.”
Josh Morrissey replied for the Jets, who got 30 saves from Connor Hellebuyck.
Winnipeg will head into the summer bitterly disappointed after falling short of its goal, but the franchise just hitting its stride gave fans a taste of real playoff success after so many tough years.
“It’s very difficult to find that positive feeling at this moment,” head coach Paul Maurice said.
The old Jets were swept in their only two trips to the second round of the playoffs before leaving town in 1996, while this incarnation lost in four straight in its only appearance in 2015 after moving from Atlanta in 2011.
“It was their time,” Winnipeg captain Blake Wheeler said of the Knights.