Even though they haven’t been around for long, the Las Vegas Golden Knights have already established themselves as part of the National Hockey League hierarchy. So, it wasn’t surprising to see them again amongst the division leaders ahead of the playoffs.

The fight for the Stanley Cup is almost upon us, and the hockey fever can be felt left and right. That’s why ClutchBet ranked best Avalanche players ever, and why we’ll dig deep into the Golden Knights’ divisional crown and first-round matchup.

Las Vegas finished the regular campaign in the only way they knew how to, by taking down the Seattle Kraken 3-1. It took them until the very last game of the 2022-23 regular season, but they still managed to clinch the Pacific Division and No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

This is now their third Pacific Division title in six years of existence, which is also tied for the most since they first entered the NHL. They also set a franchise record with 111 points this season, a reward for all the attention to detail and great execution they’ve displayed throughout the campaign.

The Golden Knights have played like a tight unit on all spots of the ice, with forwards coming back on defense and outstanding, suffocating play in the neutral zone. Their defense has been nothing short of spectacular, and their goalie play has been error-free for the better part of the season.

Their prize for clinching that top spot will be a tough matchup vs. Winnipeg Jets. Notably, they didn’t even know whom they would face until after beating the Kraken, but it’s not like they cared, either.

“We can control what we can control,” defenseman Nicolas Hague said after clinching the division. “We took care of our job tonight and will try to do it again in a few days. But we’re in a good spot.”

It Wasn’t Easy

The Las Vegas Golden Knights were one of the most dominant teams in the NHL after the All-Star break, going 21-4-5 over that span. Even so, the Edmonton Oilers wouldn’t cave in and be pretty close to taking them down for the top spot in the West until the very last second. That gave the players some extra motivation ahead of the postseason:

“It’s nice playing these games,” Hague said. “They’re hard games, right? We want to get our game in the right spot, getting ready for a week here when it all really matters.”

Vegas can Make a Deep Postseason Run

The Golden Knights have fared excellent against the Jets this season, going 3-0. However, it’s been more than four months since their last meeting, so it’s safe to say that plenty has changed for both teams ever since.

Also, those last two matchups were quite close, with one even going to overtime. That’s why the team knows there’s little-to-no margin for error and that they’ll need to be at their best to get the job done in this series:

“It’s execution for us,” Hague continued. “It’s winning the stick battles and the foot races. It all kind of piles up when we’re doing those things, and you get the whole picture that we can defend well. So it’s not really one thing.”

The Jets will have an edge in the goal this season, but the Golden Knights led their division for a reason. So, as tough as this might be, don’t be so shocked if Las Vegas gets past them easily and, eventually,  lifts the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history.