Golden Knights glad to punch playoff ticket, remain focused on postseason prize

Jonathan Marchessault joked that he would have never guessed back in 2017 that the Golden Knights would go to the playoffs four years in a row.

“The first year we were just concentrating on winning more than four games,” the Vegas forward said with a grin.

The Golden Knights clinched a playoff berth with a 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday to become the fourth team in NHL history to reach the postseason in their first four years as a franchise.

But that’s just the first step. It’s been apparent for weeks, if not months, that the Golden Knights were postseason-bound, even if it didn’t become official until 9:06 p.m. Wednesday. Their goal this season was never to just make the playoffs, but do some damage when they arrive. Wednesday was the necessary first step, but the Golden Knights know their season will be judged on how far they go in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

“Down the stretch, that’s when you have to really rev up and play your best leading into playoffs,” defenseman Shea Theodore said. “It’s good that we’re in, but we have a lot of work to do still.”

Marchessault and Theodore are two of 10 current Golden Knights who have played in Vegas’ first three playoff runs and are expected to play big roles in the fourth next month.

They also played big roles on Wednesday. Marchessault had two goals and two assists for the second four-point night of his career, and Theodore finished with two assists, including the primary helper on Alex Tuch’s go-ahead goal at the end of the second period.

Marchessault’s other four-point night also came against the Sharks, and his 22 career points against San Jose are the most he has against any opponent. All 22 of those points have come in 19 regular season games since coming to Vegas in 2017.

“We’ve probably played over a hundred games against them, so we kind of know how they play and same for them,” Marchessault said. “It’s good to have success, especially against a divisional team like that.”

It’s not quite a hundred, but it’s understandable that he feels that way. When factoring in the playoffs, the Golden Knights and Sharks have met 32 times, making San Jose the Golden Knights’ most common opponent.

Wednesday was the seventh meeting this season, and the seventh victory by the Golden Knights.  The games have been closer than the record or even the plus-13 goal differential would suggest, and the fireworks after the whistle show the rivalry is still sizzling, even if the results have been one-sided.

Twice in the game the 10 skaters got together to exchange pleasantries and both times led to penalties. There were the coincidental cross-checking minors to Max Pacioretty and Brent Burns in the first period, and Tuch was the only one to go to the box in the second.

Once Tuch exited the box, he, like the Golden Knights often have against San Jose, got the last laugh. He collected Theodore’s pass and whipped it into an open net to give Vegas a 3-2 lead with 50 seconds left in the second period. Marchessault added his second of the game in the third, and Mattias Janmark scored an empty-netter in the final minute, his first goal as a Golden Knight.

“I was honestly going to shoot it, but I’m not sure where he came from, he popped out of the side of the net and made a good play,” Theodore said of Tuch’s goal.

The Golden Knights clinched while playing their best hockey of the year. They’ve won a season-high eight in a row, which matches the franchise’s all-time best mark. They’ve outscored opponents 37-16 in that stretch, and look like the force they’re capable of being.

Vegas has 68 points in 46 games, which is a 121-point pace over a normal 82-game season. That would shatter the team’s previous high of 109 points set in the inaugural season, and it’s fair to wonder if this year’s Golden Knights team is the best of the four.

There’s one way to put aside doubt. Losing early in the playoffs would have this year’s squad written off as a regular-season wonder that couldn’t win the big one. Coach Pete DeBoer is aware of that, and while he’s happy to be the first NHL team to clinch a spot, he also wants to be the last one standing at the end of the playoffs.

“I’ve been on the other end of that, and scratched and clawed and missed, so it is an accomplishment to take that first step and be part of that playoff,” DeBoer said. “I think we have as good a chance as anybody. But it’s the toughest trophy in pro sports to win for a reason.

“There’s a lot of things that have to go right but we’ve given ourselves a chance. I wouldn’t trade our group for any other group out there and we’re excited about the opportunity.”