Less than two months ago, the Vegas Golden Knights were in danger of falling out of the playoff picture. Now, they’re four wins away from competing for a Stanley Cup.
“It’s been quite a year,” said Jack Eichel. “At times, it’s been trying. There’s also been a lot of highs; there’s been a lot of really great moments. I think that’s the beauty of our game.
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“That’s the beauty of the playoffs and this time of year,” Eichel continued. “You can be just okay for a while. But if you find something and grab onto a little bit of belief, and the room starts to see confidence, you can start piecing your game together, and good things can happen.
“When you get in, anything can happen,” finished Eichel. “Down the stretch in the regular season, we won some games and started to feel a bit better about ourselves, and we were able to take a little bit of that into the playoffs. It’s been great. And so much credit to the guys in the room– I feel like we’ve just stuck it out and tried to play good hockey as much as we can. We stuck together as a group, and I think those things go a long way.”
Despite not being in Vegas for the whole year, the trade deadline acquisitions experienced enough of the roller coaster that was the 2025-26 season to appreciate just how far this team has come.
“You hear about the things they went through this year,” said forward Cole Smith. “Personally, too, just being on a different team, the highs and lows there, the highs and lows of being traded and coming to a great spot, and now I have the chance of my career to play for something here. It’s been a great opportunity, and the excitement level is as high as it can get.
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“[The excitement level] should be as high as it can be, because there are only four teams left at this time. It’s an honor to be here– we’re one series away from playing for a Stanley Cup,” finished Smith. “There are only so many chances in your career you get to go after a championship. I want to make the most of it and play my best.”
The Colorado Avalanche will be the Golden Knights’ most challenging opponent to date. It’s not often that the Golden Knights enter a series as a heavy underdog, but they’re not fazed.
“It doesn’t really matter to me,” said Jack Eichel. “They had a really good regular season, and they’ve been playing good hockey; we feel like we’ve been playing good hockey. What it comes down to is, the team that plays better and executes better is probably going to win. We just want to go out there and play our best.”
The Avalanche won the President’s Trophy as the team with the best regular season, finishing with a record of 55-16-11. They went 1-1-1 against the Golden Knights during the regular season.
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“They’re a great team, so it’ll be a great challenge,” said Cole Smith. “But we’re also a great team, so it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
“We’re looking forward to a great series, and we’re going to be ready to play,” agreed Pavel Dorofeyev.
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