The Vegas Golden Knights are still in the lead for the second Western Conference wild-card playoff place despite having struggled with injuries throughout the season.
When they play at Enterprise Center on Monday against the St. Louis Blues, they’ll want to extend that lead.
With 83 points from 70 games, the Golden Knights (38-25-7) are presently positioned barely within the current bracket. With 79 points in 71 games, the Blues (38-30-3) became the first team outside the bracket.
Defenseman Ben Hutton of Vegas stated, “We want to get on a roll here because the playoffs aren’t too far away.” “We want to make sure we’re all feeling good about our game in making the playoffs, so that’s the key.”
After defeating the Columbus Blues Jackets 4-2 on Saturday, the Golden Knights will head out on a crucial four-game road trip that will stop in Nashville, Winnipeg, and Minnesota.
Center Jack Eichel of the Golden Knights, who scored twice in the contest, said, “It’s just good to get some points at home.” “Our game is headed in the correct direction defensively. Generally speaking, I enjoyed our defensive strategy. We were cutting into the other team’s opportunities.
“We also performed admirably in the offensive zone. We didn’t play well in the first period, but we were able to create some attacking opportunities in the second and third.”
Tomas Hertl (knee) and Mark Stone (upper body) are two forwards that the Golden Knights have been playing without due to injuries. Due to illness, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has missed time, while goaltender Adin Hill’s unspecified ailment forced him to leave Saturday’s game.
In his place came Logan Thompson. “Hill approached the bench and expressed that he wasn’t feeling well. Thus, we changed,” Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy stated. “Other than that, he’s getting his tests.”
The Blues are coming off a 5-4 overtime victory at Minnesota. The Wild are two points behind St. Louis in the playoff chase.
“It was a big game for us going into the game because we’re fighting for that final wild-card spot and our record’s right there with them in the standings,” Blues winger Jordan Kyrou, who scored a hat trick to give him four goals and two assists in his previous two games, said.
Even if the Blues’ chances of making the playoffs are slim, some of its key players from the 2019 Stanley Cup-winning squad remain.
“They have a winning formula for the end of the season,” Blues interim coach Drew Bannister remarked. Therefore, I don’t find it surprising how we responded or how we’ve performed over the past five or six games here.
“I’ve known for the past 11 games that the boys will come here going forward. Although the odds don’t favor us winning and qualifying for the playoffs, I wouldn’t wager against these men. There is too much character in that locker room, and they just know how to win.”
Jordan Binnington made 33 saves as the Blues defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 in overtime on December 4. Two nights later, in the second half of a home-and-home series, Thompson had 26 saves as the Golden Knights won 6-3 in St. Louis.
