It has been three decades since the Montreal Canadiens, the 1993 champions, last brought the Stanley Cup to Canada. The drought continues as the Vegas Golden Knights eliminated the Edmonton Oilers with a convincing 5-2 victory in Game 6, securing their spot in the Western Conference final. Over the past two postseasons, Canadian teams had managed to reach at least the third round, but this year, the trend has been broken. Despite missing the playoffs last season, the Golden Knights have now advanced to the third round for the fourth time since joining the league in 2017-18. In a spectacular comeback, Jonathan Marchessault scored three consecutive goals in the second period, propelling his team to victory after the Oilers took a 2-1 lead in the first period with goals from Connor McDavid and Warren Foegele. Reflecting on their success, Marchessault expressed the team’s satisfaction, stating, “We definitely have something special going on. We’re only halfway to our goal. We defeated one of the league’s top teams, and we need to keep the momentum going.”
USA Today: Vegas Golden Knights advance, assure Canadian team will not win Stanley Cup
Mike Brehm; May 15, 2023
Thirty years have passed since the last Canadian team, the 1993 Montreal Canadiens, won the Stanley Cup.
That drought will continue after the Vegas Golden Knights knocked out the Oilers in Edmonton with a 5-2 victory in Game 6 on Sunday night to reach the Western Conference final. A Canadian team had reached at least the third round in the last two postseasons.
The Golden Knights, who missed the playoffs last season, are heading to the third round for the fourth time since they joined the league in 2017-18.
Jonathan Marchessault scored three consecutive goals in the second period as the Golden Knights rallied after Edmonton had taken a 2-1 first-period lead on goals by Connor McDavid and Warren Foegele.
“We definitely have a good thing going on. We’re just halfway through our goal here,” Marchessault told ESPN. “We got the win here against probably one of the best teams in the league and we’ve got to keep it going.”
They’ll have home-ice advantage against the Dallas Stars or Seattle Kraken, who play Monday night in Game 7 in Dallas.
If it’s Seattle, it will be a meeting of the league’s most recent expansion teams. If it’s Dallas, the Golden Knights will go up against Peter DeBoer, the coach they fired in the offseason and replaced with Bruce Cassidy.
The Golden Knights missed the postseason last season because of major injuries. This season, they were the Western Conference’s top team despite major injuries in net. Adin Hill, who made 38 saves on Sunday and is 3-1 with a 2.19 goals-against average and .934 save percentage, will be the goaltender in the conference final after replacing injured Laurent Brossoit in the second round.
Jack Eichel is the team’s leading scorer in his first appearance in the playoffs. Captain Mark Stone has been a force after returning from injury. Marchessault scored all five of his goals in the second round and has six points in his last two games. The Golden Knights are a deep, dangerous team.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons