Vegas overcomes odds, heads for playoffs
The Vegas Golden Knights are going to the Stanley Cup playoffs.
With a 4-1 victory Monday night against the Colorado Avalanche, Vegas became the first NHL team to clinch a playoff berth in its inaugural season since the Edmonton Oilers and Hartford Whalers did so in 197980.
The Oilers, whose roster included Wayne Gretzky, and the Whalers, featuring Gordie Howe, came from the WHA as existing teams after a merger. The Golden Knights entered the NHL this season after owner Bill Foley paid a $500 million expansion fee.
Though their expansion draft was more favorable than previous expansion years, the Golden Knights opened the season with the worst odds — 500-1 — to win the Stanley Cup, according to the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. Those odds have improved to 7-1.
Foley and former Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury were among those who spoke about the Oct. 1 mass shooting that killed 58 and injured hundreds more on the Vegas Strip.
“It was a disaster that night,” Foley said. “It was a terrible massacre. We changed our initial openingnight ceremonies. I thought we really connected with the town — I’m so proud of the whole team. From then on, it was pretty unbelievable. We got off to that fast start. We’ve survived a lot of challenges this year, besides being an expansion team who nobody picked to do anything.”
Vegas currently is first in the Pacific Division. Of 64 expansion teams among the four major U.S. sports leagues since 1960, Vegas is the first to have a winning record.
“It doesn’t bring anybody back, and we don’t heal anybody,” Fleury, reflecting on the Vegas tragedy, said of the playoff berth. “But I hope that we’ve changed people’s mind a bit and get them to come here and have a good time at T-Mobile [Arena] and be proud of their hometown team.”
Elsewhere
A change to the NHL’s protocol for goaltender interference reviews is happening quicker than expected. Beginning with games Wednesday, all coach’s challenges for goaltender interference will be decided by the league’s situation room in Toronto instead of on-ice officials getting the final say. The NHL board of governors approved the change Tuesday that was recommended by general managers and approved by the competition committee. The original intent was to change the policy beginning for the playoffs. Instead, the final two-plus weeks of the regular season will include reviews being decided by a group that includes a former official.