3 Golden Knights bold predictions for West Final vs. Avalanche

The Vegas Golden Knights are going to be in tough against the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final. Colorado has been the NHL’s best team all season, and Vegas struggled for much of the year before a coaching change from John Tortorella propelled them to a hot finish and through the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Golden Knights have elite pieces like Mitch Marner and Mark Stone to match with Colorado, but there might be too many questions about each of those players.

It’s going to take a heroic effort from Golden Knights’ starting goaltender Carter Hart, but Vegas will have a bit of unfortunate help that no one likes to see, as Cale Makar is battling an injury that will keep him out of Game 1. The issue is that the Golden Knights have their own injury concerns with Stone, which sets the stage for the first bold prediction for Vegas in the Western Conference Final.

Mark Stone never reaches full health for the Golden Knights

Stone plays a hard, competitive game, which is great when he is available, but also leads to too many injuries for Vegas’ captain. The winger is battling another injury heading into this series, and it doesn’t look like he will be ready to play Game 1. Stone took the morning skate with the scratches and looked unhappy as he came off the ice, potentially signaling that whatever he is dealing with is nowhere near 100%.

Stone is already one of the slower skaters on the Golden Knights and in the league. His matchup against the Avalanche, who play at the fastest pace in the league, was already a bit of an issue for Vegas, and if Stone does return at any point in this series, he’s going to struggle even more to keep up.

The captain could make a triumphant return at some point in this series and give the Golden Knights some good minutes and a bit of a psychological boost. However, when it comes down to it, it’s hard to see a scenario where he rehabs enough to make a significant impact.

Mitch Marner’s redemption tour continues, but it isn’t enough

Toronto Maple Leafs fans’ heads are rolling as Marner is showing that he actually doesn’t have a problem with performing in the postseason. Marner has 18 points in 12 games thus far, and has been making a significant impact at both ends of the ice with shorthanded efforts and highlight reel goals.

If the Golden Knights are going to make this series interesting, they’ll need Marner to be at his best. The winger has been showing more and more between these playoffs and his International heroics for Team Canada that he can shine when the lights are the brightest, and he’ll continue that in this series.

As previously mentioned, the Avalanche are going to be a difficult matchup for any team, and they are likely to come out on top in this matchup. It’s going to be unfortunate for Marner if the Stanley Cup run falls short, but this is the deepest he has ever been in the playoffs, and this postseason is going to change the narratives that surround him, regardless of the team’s outcome.

John Tortorella gets in hot water once more for Golden Knights

It might not be a bold prediction for on the ice, but if the Golden Knights struggle to figure out the Avalanche in this series, it’s almost a guarantee that Tortorella will cause some kind of stir. The hot water he found himself in after the second round was right out of the Torts playbook, as Vegas won the series triumphantly in Game 6, but he declined to speak to the media, losing the team a second-round draft pick and receiving a $100,000 fine in the process.

Some would wonder exactly what Tortorella was thinking, given that he is on an interim basis and his job security for next season hasn’t yet been made clear. Losing the organization a second-round draft pick when they don’t have many to spare isn’t the best way to make friends within the front office, but if we know one thing about Tortorella, he doesn’t actually care.

If he continues to lead the team to success, it won’t matter how many draft picks he loses. However, if Vegas goes down early in this series and the head coach runs out of answers, expect a classic Torts crashout before he rides off into the sunset again. It’s the only way he knows how to operate.

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