NHL playoffs 2018: Golden Knights vs. Jets preview and prediction

The Winnipeg Jets will square off against the Vegas Golden Knights in Western Conference Finals in both teams first ever chance to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

On Saturday May 12, two of the most magical teams in the league will face off in the Western Conference Final when the immensely talented Winnipeg Jets look to advance to the Stanley Cup Final in their first Conference Final appearance against the Vegas Golden Knights, who look to continue their historic run all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in their first-ever season.

The Jets have exceeded every expectation placed on them this season and then some. Predicted by a few as a dark horse team to make the playoffs when the season began, the Jets put it all together after so many years of patience to crush all doubts and finished second in the NHL with 114 points.

Winnipeg’s depth on offense was obvious even before the season, but the Jets had always been burnt by less then sub par goaltending in the past. Now, led by the emergence of now-Vezina Trophy candidate Connor Hellebuyck, the Jets finally got the goaltending they needed to back up their high powered offense and became world beaters in no time.

Once the postseason rolled around, the anticipation surrounding the Jets was palpable. Since moving back to Winnipeg from Atlanta, the Jets had never even won a playoff game, let alone a series. That all changed when the Jets demolished the Minnesota Wild in the first round, tossing them around en route to a five game victory, giving the Winnipeg faithful their first taste of playoff success. But there was no intention of stopping there.

The Second Round saw them play the only team that finished above them, the Presidents Trophy winning Nashville Predators. There would’ve been no shame in losing to such a high-powered team, but Winnipeg proved themselves superior and torched them on numerous occasions to take the series in seven games with a 5-1 win on the road in Game 7.

The Jets are no longer just a feel-good story; they are juggernauts that ooze talent from every pore, and are poised to bring home the Stanley Cup

The Vegas Golden Knights, on the other hand, really need no introduction. The NHL’s newest franchise made up of the rejects that every other team in the league figured they would be fine parting with. They were predicted to finish in the basement of the league when the season began, and who could blame anybody for saying so? On paper, this team didn’t look it had anywhere close to the amount of talent needed to even be competitive, let alone make the playoffs. Boy were we all so very wrong about this team.

The Vegas Golden Knights didn’t just surpass expectations, they made those expectations a complete laughingstock. Vegas started winning and it just never stopped. Marc-Andre Fleury and backup goalie Malcom Subban were out for extended periods of time, and they kept winning. Backup to the backup goalie Oskar Dansk got hurt, and they just kept winning. Halfway through the season the Golden Knights had the best record in the Western Conference, and had endeared themselves to the Las Vegas residents who had never had a team or their own to cheer for.

Along they way, they had set basically any set record there was to be set as an expansion team in its first season.

Almost everybody on the team just magically became stars, the prime example being William Karlsson, going from a six-goal season with the Blue Jackets to a 43-goal season with the Golden Knights. All of it has been a heartwarming story, almost like a Disney movie, really, but now Cinderella has turned into a monster that cannot be slain.

The Golden Knights finished atop the Pacific Division by eight points with 109, enough as well for fourth overall in the entire league. The point of being underdogs had long since past; they were and still are bonafide Stanley Cup Contenders, but still there were doubts. Vegas matched up with the Kings in the first round and was a popular pick for an upset, then they swept them with little issue. Then they faced the Sharks who supposedly matched up with them much better than the Kings, and the Knights dispatched them in six games.

Now they’re both here, in the Western Conference Finals looking to advance to their first Stanley Cup Finals.

Prediction

This series is pretty much as even as it gets. No side has any significant advantage over the other, but the advantages are there. Depth for depth, Winnipeg has the slight edge on offense and defense, but Vegas holds a key advantage in goaltending with Marc Andre Fleury.

The key difference will be who is able to steal games on the road. Both Winnipeg and Vegas are among the best home teams in the league, and the first team to steal a game on the road.will likely be the one to win the series.

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Expect the best series we have seen in these playoffs, but unfortunately one of these amazing stories ends here. It’s tough, but the Jets just have the slight edge when it comes to going toe to toe with Vegas. Vegas can certainly magic their way to another series win, but the Jets can match them there too. After multiple close games decided by a bounce or two, the Jets take a Game 7 on home ice to advance to their first Stanley Cup Finals.

Prediction: Jets over Golden Knights in seven games.

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