Here’s a recap of the Golden Knights-Jets season series
The Golden Knights sliced a jet in half the last time they played Winnipeg in the playoffs. They also won the series in five games to reach the Stanley Cup Final.
That sets a precedent that will be hard to match when the teams meet against for a first-round series starting Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena. The Knights have already shown they can dominate Winnipeg before and after the buzzer, even if the jet they cut last time was only a projection on the ice.
Vegas sure knows how to put on a show! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/JeUS3hFrds
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) May 17, 2018
Luckily for them, they’ve had similar success this season. The Knights swept the series with the Jets 3-0-0 to improve to 6-6-2 all time against Winnipeg.
Here’s a recap of their three meetings, which took place in the first half of the season:
Oct. 20: Knights 5, Jets 2 T- Mobile Arena
This was a game to forget for Winnipeg backup David Rittich.
In their fifth game of the season, the Knights scored four goals on their first 12 shots to take a 4-0 lead with 4:43 remaining in the first period. That tied the team’s home record for the most goals in a period. Center Jack Eichel got two of the tallies, and centers William Karlsson and Chandler Stephenson scored the others.
There wasn’t much drama after that. The Jets pulled within 4-2 with 9:26 to play, but right wing Jonathan Marchessault sealed the win with an empty-net goal.
Goaltender Adin Hill made 26 saves for his second win with the Knights.
Oct. 30: Knights 2, Jets 1 (OT) T-Mobile Arena
Connor Hellebuyck almost committed robbery in this game. Eichel didn’t let him.
The Knights were the dominant side throughout. Their 48 shots were their third-most of the season. Their 47 scoring chances were their fourth-most, according to the website Natural Stat Trick.
It didn’t look as if it was going to matter. Winnipeg had Hellebuyck, the 2020 Vezina Trophy winner, and that appeared to be enough. He made 46 saves, the fourth-most in a game in his career.
He bought enough time for the Jets to take a 1-0 lead 13 seconds into the third period with a goal from center Adam Lowry. Captain Mark Stone answered by swatting his own rebound out of midair seven minutes later.
Eichel then took over in overtime. He received the puck with 19 seconds remaining at the top of the offensive zone. He did a full lap, cut back at the blue line, beat Hellebuyck to the right post and scored 12 seconds later.
It was a mesmerizing sequence and one of Eichel’s best plays with the Knights. It was also the latest overtime goal in team history.
Made for the moment. 🤩
Jack Eichel nets the @SUBWAYCanada OT winner for the Golden Knights. pic.twitter.com/nBeqpTA42T
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 31, 2022
Dec. 13: Knights 6, Jets 5 Canada Life Centre
The Knights scored at least six goals six times this season. They allowed at least five goals eight times. This is the only game they did both.
It was a wild one from the start. There were three goals in the first period, including Knights defenseman Daniil Miromanov’s first in the NHL. Stone capped it by giving the Knights, who played without Eichel and defensemen Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore and Zach Whitecloud, a 2-1 lead with two seconds remaining.
Three more goals in the second produced a 3-3 tie. Somehow, it got even crazier in the third.
Winnipeg took a 4-3 lead 41 seconds in on center Mark Scheifele’s second goal. Marchessault tied it 8:57 later on a power-play goal. He then gave the Knights the lead with 2:16 remaining with another marker on the man advantage.
But the teams still weren’t done. Karlsson put the Knights ahead 6-4 with an empty-net goal, but Scheifele completed his sixth hat trick with two seconds left.
Stone, a Brandon, Manitoba, native, scored two goals and hit 500 career points with his parents and former billet family from junior hockey in the stands. Stephenson tied his career high with four points.
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.