LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The Golden Knights are back in the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in nine years after sweeping the Colorado Avalanche and bringing in a new head coach with eight games left in the regular season.
The team fired Bruce Cassidy and hired John Tortorella, a veteran with 25 years as a head coach in the NHL. The move sparked a turnaround that carried into the postseason.
MORE ON FOX5: Hurricanes top Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 to move within a win of the Stanley Cup
“There’s this new spark, new emotion, new fire, new season for the Golden Knights,” said FOX5 sports reporter Paloma Villicana.
The Knights dominated the Avalanche in the first round despite predictions favoring Colorado. Down 3-0 in Game 3 in Vegas, the Knights scored five unanswered goals and completed the sweep.
Hurricanes present tough challenge
The Knights now face the Carolina Hurricanes, who have lost only one game this postseason. Game 1 is Tuesday June 2 at 5 p.m. in North Carolina, with Game 2 also on the road. Game 3 returns to T-Mobile Arena on Saturday June 6.
“When you’re hot, you’re hot. And in Vegas, you can get hot in this town,” Villicana said.
The Hurricanes are favored to win the series, but the Knights have been resilient throughout the playoffs.
“The Knights are so talented. Their roster is so talented. We know how good they are. They were in a slump during the regular season. And now they have this new spark, this new fire to them,” Villicana said.
Only three players from the 2023 championship team remain on the roster.
“Hearing from the guys this weekend at City National Arena, they’ve said they’ve been here. They have those butterflies. They know what it takes,” Villicana said. “But you almost have to treat each series as its own season and just take it one game at a time.”
Watch parties planned at T-Mobile
The team will host watch parties at Toshiba Plaza for Games 1 and 2 while the Knights are on the road. Fans can purchase tickets for a small price to watch with other supporters.
“One thing I remember is the entire Toshiba Plaza. You could not move. It was packed,” Villicana said of the 2023 championship run. “And to see the entire city come out and pack the Strip, it’s a memory that I’ll have forever.”
The Knights have set a high standard for Las Vegas sports teams.
“They play every day with such grit and toughness and edge to them that a lot of the other sports teams in Vegas look up to the Golden Knights and want to play with that aggression, that passion that the Golden Knights play with,” Villicana said.
The championship expectation has become the norm in Las Vegas, with the Aces winning three championships in the last four years.
“That has become the expectation here in Vegas is to win championships,” Villicana said.
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