2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Preview: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Winnipeg Jets

2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Preview: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Winnipeg Jets

The first time the Winnipeg Jets and the Vegas Golden Knights faced each other was only five years ago in the Knights’ inaugural season. Vegas took down Winnipeg in five games and went on to the Stanley Cup Final where they fell to the Washington Capitals. Now, they will meet again to begin the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. Let’s preview the matchup!

Looking back:

Vegas swept Winnipeg in the regular season, 3-0. Across all three matchups, the Knights scored a combined 13 goals to the Jets’ eight. If you’re a Vegas fan, this is very encouraging, but it is essential to remember that these teams haven’t seen each other since December. Prior to that, their first two games were in October at the very beginning of the season.

Offense:

The Knights’ offense ranked 14th in the NHL at the end of the regular season. That’s pretty impressive given the fact that they only have three 20-goal scorers. They have a roster full of good players, but nothing comparable to Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon or Nikita Kucherov. This isn’t a death sentence by any means, but it certainly does not instill confidence in the current high-scoring climate of the NHL.

On the Winnipeg side, after Kyle Connor, Mark Schiefele, and Pierre-Luc Dubois, there isn’t much going on. Scheifele had 42 goals, which is almost 20 more than Vegas’ top scorer. Winnipeg will be relying heavily on Connor Hellebuyck in the net.

Both teams are ranked in the bottom half of the NHL on the Power Play.

Defense:

Contrary to offense, both teams have very strong defensive units. Norris Trophy hopeful, Josh Morrissey leads the Jets’ back end with 76 points. They have done a fantastic job of surrounding him with comparable talent: Dylan DeMelo, Neal Pionk, Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon. This group has a healthy mix of defensive-minded players, as well as offensive-minded players. They have the 7th-ranked penalty-killing percentage at 82.4 percent.

It’s impossible to talk about Vegas’ defense without mentioning that Nicolas Hague and Brayden McNabb have missed a combined one game this whole season. Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore (when healthy) are arguably the top defensemen in the league. However, as long as Zach Whitecloud is out, depth might be a bit of a challenge for this team.

The Knights win if:

The Knights will take this series if they maintain consistency across their usual structured six-man defensive unit. Alec Martinez leads the league in blocked shots and is a core member of this defensive unit. He will be pivotal in the team’s strategies moving forward.

The Jets win if:

Hellebuyck is easily one of the top goaltenders in the league right now. He has a 37-25-2 record across 64 games this season. With the addition of a 2.49 GAA and a 92.0 percent save rate, Hellebuyck is looking dangerous in his crease. Vegas has approximately 37 goalies on their roster and I don’t think a single one of them could go toe-to-toe with Hellebuyck.

Series Prediction:

This could be a very interesting series to watch. Vegas has won seven playoff series since their inaugural season and Winnipeg has only won three in the same five seasons. Vegas looks better on paper and with the recent addition of Jonathan Quick, this could easily become an epic goalie duel. However, I’m not sure if they can break down Winnipeg’s defense and goaltending.

Winnipeg Jets in 7 games

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