This Date In Sports History: Las Vegas Golden Knights Finish Inaugural Regular Season On The Road Against Calgary

By Jordan Long

The Las Vegas Golden Knights entered the NHL for the 2017-2018 season.  Not many experts expected them to do much in their first year in the league.  They exceeded expectations on their way to a record of 51-24-7 while winning the Pacific Division.  On this date, they played the final regular season game of their inaugural season.

                The Golden Knights finished 2018 on a three-game Canadian road trip.  They beat Vancouver 5-4 in a shootout.  Las Vegas headed to Edmonton but dropped the game 4-3.  Entering the last game of the season they weren’t playing for anything but wanted to head into the playoffs on a high note.  They faced Calgary.

                Calgary was going to miss the postseason.  They wanted to end their season with a win. The Knights started their number 1 goaltender in Marc-Andre Fleury.  Calgary went with Jon Gillies. 

                The Flames took over the game early and often.  Johnny Gaudreau scored 4:03 into the game.  The Flames doubled their lead 10 seconds later when Mark Jankowski found the back of the net.  Jankowski added another one to extend the Flames lead to 3-0.  Once the first-period buzzer sounded, the Flames were up 3-0.

                Cody Eakin finally got the Knights on the board 51 seconds into the 2^nd period to cut the Calgary deficit to 3-1.  After that goal, the Knights generated scoring chances but couldn’t solve Gillies.  The Flames lit the lamp 3 more times with goals from  Garnet Hathaway, Spencer Foo, and a shorty from Mark Jankowski which completed his hat trick.  The Flames headed into the locker room up 6-1.

                At the beginning of the 3^rd period, the Knights changed goalies. Malcolm Subban stopped 12 of 13 shots.  The only puck that went by him was a power play goal by Jankowski.  The Flames took this game 7-1.

                This ended the top regular season by an expansion team in NHL history.  The Knights ended up winning their division with 109 points.  They held home ice advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs.  Home ice helped them go all the way to the Stanley Cup Final only to lose to the Washington Capitals in 5 games.