The Vegas Golden Knights may not be in the playoffs anymore, but that doesn’t mean the playoffs aren’t worth watching. In fact, for the first time in NHL history, the top team from each conference and all division winners were eliminated in the first round! The way I see it, if the Knights aren’t going to be in the cup facing the next best team, I’m glad all the teams that could be there are underdogs.
Here 8 reasons to keep watching the playoffs:
- The San Jose Sharks will play the Colorado Avalanche in the second round. We want to cheer on the Avalanche for two reasons: 1, San Jose sucks. And 2, If the Avalanche wins, the Vegas Golden Knights get the 16th overall draft pick instead of the 17th.
- David Perron is in the playoffs, playing for the St. Louis Blues. As part of our inaugural season’s team, we should continue to cheer him on. Plus he’s having a great season.
- Everyone gets a Second Chance at the Stanley Cup Playoff Bracket Challenge! “Dramatic outcomes in the First Round of the 2019 Stanley Cup® Playoffs have busted brackets in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge™ presented by Jägermeister. And now – for the first time ever – fans can have a fresh start with the Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Chance Bracket™. At the conclusion of the First Round and before the start of the Second Round, fans will be able to submit a new bracket at NHL.com/Bracket with their predictions for the remainder of the 2019 Stanley Cup® Playoffs. Fans that submit Second Chance Brackets will vie for a trip for two to the 2019-20 NHL® event of their choice. Once the Second Round matchups for the 2019 Stanley Cup® Playoffs are set, fans can start creating and submitting new brackets containing their predictions for the remainder of the postseason online or via the NHL® App. Brackets will be locked at 6:59 p.m. ET before the first puck drops in the Second Round.”- NHL. Second Round starts Tonight!! So get your bracket submitted!
- The Carolina Hurricanes took out the Capitals for us. Those Jerks* are playing great under the leadership of Justin Williams (a three-time Stanley Cup Champion, and Mr. Game 7), who has been nominated for the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award. The Canes also have a unique post-win ritual, in which they do a team celebration that changes each game. *It is for these celebrations that Don Cherry called the team a “bunch of jerks”. The team has subsequently embraced this name, and these #bunchofjerks are worth rooting for.
- More hockey. Hockey is awesome.
- The two referees that royally screwed up game 7 for the Vegas Golden Knights will not be reffing any more games this seasons (too little, too late)! But side note, Wes McCauley will be there! He’s very entertaining. Here’s a Youtube video of The Best of Wes McCauley
- Watching the other teams helps you to get to know the players and teams we face each year. It also helps to know the top players from each team so that you’ll already be familiar with players that the Vegas Golden Knights trade for in the future.
- More hits, more fights, more crazy goals, MORE HOCKEY! Need we say more?
You can watch the games on NBCSN or on any of channels/websites listed on our FAQS page.
Here is the full schedule. All times are EST (subtract 3 hours for Vegas local times):
