The Vegas Golden Knights are heading to their third Stanley Cup Final appearance in nine seasons after defeating the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final.
The scene now shifts to the biggest stage in hockey, as the Golden Knights will take on the winner of the Eastern Conference, either the Carolina Hurricanes or the Montreal Canadiens.
Here’s a few things to know about the weeks ahead for the Knights:
When does the Stanley Cup Final start?
The NHL has yet to announce the dates fot the Stanley Cup Final. We expect they will announce those dates soon.
First, the Eastern Conference Final has to conclude, and it could go all the way to Game 7 on June 2. Game 4 is Wednesday in Montreal with the Canes ahead 2-1.
ESPN has rights to both the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Final. The first two games of the NBA Finals are scheduled for June 3 and June 5. With that in mind, the Stanley Cup Final is likely to start either on June 4 or June 6.
Who has home ice?
In the NHL home-ice advatage is determined by which team holds the best regular-season record.
That means that regardless who the Knights take on between Montreal or Carolina, they will be heading to the east coast for Games 1 and 2 of the series after amassing 96 points across 82 games.
This will be the first time in franchise history that the Golden Knights will not have home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Final.
Knights’ Stanley Cup history
The Golden Knights were last in the Cup Final in 2023, winning their first Stanley Cup by defeating the Florida Panthers in five games, including a record-tying nine-goal performance in the cup-clinching game on home ice.
The first time they played in the final was during their surprising expansion season in 2017-18, when they lost to Washington Capitals in five games and gave Alexander Ovechkin his first career title.
Of the players still with the organization, captain Mark Stone and defenseman Shea Theodore each have nine total points in career Stanley Cup Final games.
What if its Knights vs Hurricanes?
The Hurricanes finished the regular season as the best team in the Eastern Conference with a record of 53-22-7 and second overall in the NHL standings with 113 total points.
Prior to their series against the Canadiens, they had not lost a single game through the first two rounds of the playoffs, sweeping both the Ottawa Senators and the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Knights won both matchups in their two-game regular-season series by a score of 4-1 on home ice and 6-3 in Raleigh, N.C. If a series between the Golden Knights and Hurricanes comes to fruition, it will be the first time these two franchises have met in a playoff environment.
What if it’s Knights vs. Canadiens?
The Canadiens are a team filled with young talent, and after a season last year in which they failed to make it out of the first round against the Capitals, they now find themselves in a battle to make it back to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
Montreal finished the regular season with a record of 48-24-10 for a total of 106 points, putting them in second place in the Atlantic Division, which had four teams reach 100 points this season.
During the regular season, former Vegas Golden Knight and current Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki, who was traded to Montreal in the Max Pacioretty deal, led the team in scoring with 101 points, including 29 goals and 72 assists.
This would not be the first time these two franchises have met in the postseason, as the Canadiens defeated the Golden Knights in the playoff semifinals during their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020-21, following the NHL’s COVID-19-related format changes that year.
Who is the betting favorite?
Before the start of this season, the Golden Knights were listed as a +1200 contender to win the Stanley Cup this year, according to BetMGM’s futures board.
Ahead of them in the favorites category was the Edmonton Oilers at +650 after coming off back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Stanley Cup Final, the Florida Panthers at +750, looking for their third straight championship, the Colorado Avalanche at +800, the Dallas Stars at +850, and the Carolina Hurricanes at +900.
Now, after defeating the Avalanche, the Golden Knights have +120 odds to hoist the Stanley Cup for the second time in franchise history, behind only the Hurricanes at +100.
