The Vegas Golden Knights have clinched a spot in the playoffs for the second season in a row after their 7-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Friday. They have now made the playoffs in all but one of their seasons since entering the league in 2017-18.
Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault led the way with their 30th and 42nd goals respectively and Logan Thompson made 25 saves to notch his 24th win of the season. Chandler Stephenson also recorded his third four-assist game of his career, tying captain Mark Stone for the most in franchise history.
The Golden Knights sat in the second wild card spot in the Western Conference entering play on Friday and with the St. Louis Blues losing to the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 earlier in the evening, all they needed to do was win their game against the Wild and they were headed to the playoffs. That’s exactly what they did and they are now in a position to defend their Stanley Cup title from last year.
The Golden Knights will be going into the postseason with a bolstered lineup that already includes new acquisitions Noah Hanifin, Anthony Mantha, and Tomas Hertl. But they also got some good news on Friday with Stone being cleared to practice in a non-contact jersey. With no salary cap in the playoffs, all of their high-priced players can suit up and help win the organization back-to-back Cups in only their seventh year of existence.