The Vegas Golden Knights have been in the Stanley Cup playoffs every time since their inaugural season in 2017–18. But that won’t be the case this season as the Golden Knights are officially out of the postseason contention after a 4-3 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night.
The game against the Blackhawks was crucial for Golden Knights’ playoff hopes. First, they had to beat the Blackhawks and then wait to see whether the Dallas Stars would lose to Arizona Coyotes in regulation. Unfortunately for Vegas, neither happened, and their playoff streak came to a disappointing end.
Golden Knights had a promising start to the 2021-22 NHL season, owning a 28-16-3 record at one point. But a series of injuries and sluggish performances caused them to feel off a cliff, and they only managed a 14-15-5 record from that point on. They are set to finish the regular season at the fourth spot in the Pacific Division.
In their inaugural season, Golden Knights reached the Stanley Cup finals, where they lost in five games against the Washington Capitals. This made them the only third NHL team to reach this stage in their first season. Vegas followed this up by exit in the First Round in 2018-19, Conference Finals appearance in 2019-20, and Stanley Cup Semifinals appearance last season.
