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Old 04-06-2017, 04:12 PM   #22
dannibalcorpse
Minors (Double A)
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 168
The regular season has wrapped up, and Vegas will be watching the playoffs from home this year. The team finished with a disappointing 25-46-11 record, seeing a large number of players regress from the franchise’s rookie year.

Leading the team in scoring this year was Ondrej Palat (24-27-51). Captain Tyler Johnson led the team in assists (16-32-48), and rookie Jordan Greenway managed to finish fourth on the team in scoring despite missing 17 games with injury (19-17-36). While many of the players managed to only see a slight regression in their stats, one of the biggest disappointments was Josh Ho-Sang. The 23 year old RW, expected by many to be a top-liner coming into the year, was demoted to the 2nd line and finished with 6 goals and 18 assists, despite playing in all 82 games. Craig Anderson also saw a big step back in his game, going 14-21-5 with a 3.00 GAA; his .916 SV% was mostly a product of the amount of shots he saw each night. Mikko Koskinen, acquired on waivers, managed a 4-14-3 record with a .910 SV% in his time in Vegas, showing that his early season success was aided quite liberally by the system in Nashville.

All is not doom and gloom, however; the Knights made a surprise pickup late in the year when the Canadiens tried to sneak defenseman Mikhail Sergachev through waivers. Sergachev is still only 20 years old and has 217 games of NHL experience already; the 6’3”, 234-pounder is looking to be a strong presence on the Vegas blue line for years to come. In his short cup of coffee with the Golden Knights, Sergachev managed to score 2 goals and add an assist in 6 games, and overall put up a solid 7-23-30 in 80 games this year, to go along with his solid defensive game. 21 year old winger Jack Becker, acquired in February for spare part Riley Barber, also opened eyes by scoring 10 goals and dishing out 8 assists in 16 games in the AHL - he looks to fit prominently in the team’s future plans with that good scoring touch.

The team also saw some of its first draft picks put up strong seasons. Akil Thomas, picked in the 6th round last year, put up a 36-50-86 line for Niagara in the OHL; not to be outdone, 3rd rounder Nando Eggenberger played on the same line and put up an insane 48-62-110 on the scoresheet. Brandon Brown, the second round pick last year, fought through injuries this year and was limited to 29 games, but still put up over a point a game as an 18 year old in the QMJHL; with up to two years of eligibility left, Brown will have plenty of time to show off what he can do before getting the call. With Eggenberger turning 20 in the fall, most expect him to be a part of training camp with the big squad before refining his game in the AHL.

Around the league, the Blackhawks once again wound up running away with the Presidents’ Trophy, sporting a 56-20-6 record and an impressive +99 goal differential. In fact, the league’s three best teams came out of the Central Division, with the 52-25-5 Predators and 49-24-9 Stars set to face off in the first round of this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. Filip Forsberg ran away with the scoring race this year - leading the league in goals, assists, and obviously points with a heady 45-64-109 line - he finished 18 points ahead of the second place finisher, Patrik Laine! Corey Crawford once again proved to be the top goalie in the league - his 51 wins, a 1.98 GAA, and 16 shutouts paced the league; he only missed out on topping all the major goalie categories by seeing Robin Lehner put up a .926 SV% for Buffalo.

The playoff matchups are set for the round of 16, with some surprising names throwing their hats in the ring this year:

EASTERN CONFERENCE
Ottawa Senators (41-32-9) v. Carolina Hurricanes (48-31-3)

Philadelphia Flyers (46-31-5) v. New York Rangers (49-27-6)

Washington Capitals (45-32-5) v. Buffalo Sabres (48-26-8)

Montreal Canadiens (42-35-5) v. Tampa Bay Lightning (43-31-8)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Chicago Blackhawks (56-20-6) v. St. Louis Blues (43-32-7)

Dallas Stars (49-24-9) v. Nashville Predators (52-25-5)

Anaheim Ducks (42-33-7) v. Edmonton Oilers (45-31-6)

Arizona Coyotes (46-34-2) v. San Jose Sharks (45-32-5)
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