Are the Winnipeg Jets already in the Vegas Golden Knights’ heads?

Credit: Phil Kessel and Pierre-Luc Dubois (© Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports)

The Ghost of Playoffs Past has already paid a visit to Vegas.

Game 1 of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs didn’t go as planned for the Western Conference champion Golden Knights. Vegas was steamrolled 5-1 by the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night, and it was ugly.

Boos rained down from the stands in T-Mobile Arena as Vegas failed to accomplish anything on the power play. Fans left early as the Golden Knights only managed to fire two shots on goal during the final frame.

All in all, it was a terrible outing for Vegas. The Golden Knights were slow. The team looked out of sync. Intensity was absent. And most troubling, Vegas got worse as the game progressed. Especially in the third period.

Now, credit needs to be given to the Winnipeg Jets. They were the faster, more structured team. Winnipeg shut down the middle of the ice. And Connor Hellebuyck made several huge saves early in the first period to keep the Golden Knights off the scoreboard.

But the Jets didn’t win simply because of Hellebuyck. Winnipeg won because they outcompeted Vegas in almost every facet. The Jets didn’t look like a No. 8 seed playing against the top team in the Pacific: they looked like the team that led the Central Division earlier this year.

Winnipeg’s upset win should be the story. And the fact that a Rick Bowness-led Dallas Stars took down the Golden Knights during the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs can’t be ignored. He knows the opposition. And on Tuesday night, Bowness’ team executed.

I thought Vegas was lucky to get out of the first period 0-0. Goaltender Laurent Brossoit made several quality saves, especially against the Winnipeg rush. But the Golden Knights netminder also had multiple code brown moments where the puck was loose in his crease.

Tuesday morning, on Daily Faceoff Live, I told our own Frank Seravalli that I thought this series would be won in the neutral zone. And that’s exactly how Game 1 played out. Winnipeg generated rush chances galore while the Golden Knights struggled to get past the Jets’ blueline. Vegas refused to get the puck deep and go to work.

Bowness knows that the Golden Knights are, at their core, a rush team. Vegas generates their offense by entering the zone with speed and numbers. And Winnipeg – save for a 10-minute span in the latter half of the second period – shut that down. Vegas only put 17 shots on goal over the course of 60 minutes: a season low.

Jack Eichel was minus-3 in his Stanley Cup playoff debut. Mark Stone was minus-3 in his return to the Golden Knights lineup after having back surgery and missing the final 39 games of the regular season. And Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy jumbled lines throughout the contest to no avail.

It was just one game. But the worrisome aspect is that Vegas, despite earning 111 points during the 2022-23 regular season, had underlying problems all season that came to light against the Jets.

Advanced stats pointed towards the Golden Knights overachieving. According to moneypuck.com, Vegas finished the season 16th during the 2022-23 regular season in expected goals for. And the team’s goals percentage at even strength (54.7%) outweighed the expected (52.8%).

Somehow, some way, the Golden Knights kept winning games this season that they shouldn’t have. Vegas would get out to an early lead and lock it down. Or the Golden Knights would miraculously come from behind. The team had a whole vibe.

Maybe Vegas can get that fuzzy feeling back for Game 2 on Thursday. But Tuesday night was a stark reminder of Vegas’ Stanley Cup playoff failures. And judging by the fans’ vocal displeasure, it wasn’t lost on them.

The Ghost of Playoffs Past arrived.

Year after year, the Golden Knights’ scoring has dried up in the postseason when it mattered most. And the power play has been brutal. But at least in the past, Vegas put shots on net. During the team’s six years of existence, the Golden Knights have averaged more than 33 shots on goal per game during the Stanley Cup playoffs.

To the players and fans alike, posting just 17 shots Tuesday night was unacceptable. And it was shocking to hear such an overwhelmingly supportive fan base boo the Golden Knights power play. Then see them walk out on the team in the waning minutes of the contest when the score was still 3-1 in favor of the Jets. The game wasn’t over. But to the fans, it was. They’d seen enough.

I mentioned Brossoit earlier. And while he wasn’t bad last night, he looked human. Kyle Connor’s tally was bang-bang, on and off the stick blade from the slot. No fault of Brossoit even if he lost the angle slightly.

But he was beaten clean on the next two Jets goals by Pierre Luc Dubois and Blake Wheeler. The latter of which being a soft backhander from the slot that beat Brossoit through the five-hole. Simply put: Brossoit was outplayed by Hellebuyck. And that matchup was a well-known factor going into this series.

Make no mistake, goaltending is a question mark for the Golden Knights. And Tuesday’s contest did nothing to alleviate those concerns. Vegas has been struggling to find consistency in goal ever since Marc-Andre Fleury was dealt to the Blackhawks for the equivalent of a used puck bag in the summer of 2021.

The fans expect better. They’ve had enough appetizers. They want an entree with dessert. And remember, Golden Knights owner Bill Foley set the timeline for winning a championship at six years. Expectations are sky high. Anything less than winning the Stanley Cup this season will be viewed as an abject failure.

But here’s the catch: I just analyzed Game 1. It’s a seven-game series. And while the Golden Knights were awful Tuesday, I fully expect the club to rebound Thursday night. Vegas has made resiliency a habit under Bruce Cassidy, and the veteran bench boss is one of the top systematic coaches in the NHL.

I picked Vegas to beat Winnipeg in six games. And I’m sticking to my prediction. But I’m going to have egg on my face if the Golden Knights can’t get it together in Game 2. Vegas needs to score first. The power play must improve. And the Golden Knights have to find a way to penetrate the Jets blueline.

All season long, I’ve called Vegas a zombie team. One spark, one goal, one solid shift and suddenly the Golden Knights were back in the game. And that happened briefly during the second period of Game 1. But Vegas wasn’t able to sustain it.

The Golden Knights better hope the Ghost of Playoffs Present arrives Thursday night, offering a chance at redemption. Because Vegas doesn’t want to meet the Ghost of Playoffs Yet-to-Come if they drop Game 2 at T-Mobile.

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Are the Winnipeg Jets already in the Vegas Golden Knights’ heads?

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