The Vegas Golden Knights enter this expansion draft as the NHL’s most recent expansion team. They are also the most successful, making it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season. The Golden Knights will be looking to add to their core and make a run at another Stanley Cup. The Seattle Kraken are an expansion team that will be joining the NHL for the 2021-22 season. The Kraken will be looking to make a splash in their first season and build a foundation for success in the years to come.
1. How the Vegas Golden Knights can win against the Seattle Kraken in the Stanley Cup Finals
The Vegas Golden Knights are a dangerous team and they have proved it time and time again. They have all the tools to upset any team, including the Seattle Kraken, in a seven-game series. However, if they want to win this thing, they’re going to need some big performances from their key players. Marc-Andre Fleury will need to be lights out in net and their forwards will need to score goals in bunches. They’re more than capable of doing both of those things, so if they can put it all together, they could hoist Lord Stanley’s mug at the end of June.
The Seattle Kraken are a tough team as well and they have shown that they can hang with anyone in the league. They have a deep roster full of talented players that can make an impact on both ends of the ice. If they want to win this series, goalie Semyon Varlamov will need to stand on his head and steal a few games for them. Additionally, their forwards need to find ways to beat Fleury; something that has been difficult for many teams this season (including Vegas). If Seattle can solve that puzzle, then raising hockey’s ultimate prize is definitely within reach.
2. What the Vegas Golden Knights need to do to beat the Seattle Kraken
- The Golden Knights need to win more face-offs if they want to have any chance of winning this series. They have been dreadful in the face-off circle, especially against the Kraken.
- If the Golden Knights are going to win this series, they’ll need their goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to be at his best. He has been great at times during these playoffs, but he’s also let in some soft goals that have cost his team dearly.
- The Golden Knights will need to find a way to slow down the Kraken’s top line of Joonas Donskoi, Evgeni Malkin, and Brock Boeser if they want any chance of winning this series. This trio has been nearly impossible to stop for most teams during these playoffs.
3. The keys to victory for the Vegas Golden Knights against the Seattle Kraken in the Stanley Cup Final
- The Golden Knights need to continue to get scoring from their top line of Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone, and Chandler Stephenson. They have been the best line for Vegas all postseason and they will need to be at their best against a Seattle team that is very good defensively.
- The Golden Knights’ defense has been excellent all postseason and they will need to be at their best again in the Stanley Cup Final. Shea Theodore, Alex Pietrangelo, and Nate Schmidt are all great defensemen who can shut down opposing offenses.
- Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has been outstanding this postseason and he will need to be great again if the Golden Knights want to win the Stanley Cup. Fleury has shown time and time again that he is a big-game goaltender and he will need to be at his best against Seattle’s offense.
4. How to stop the Seattle Kraken from winning the Stanley Cup
The Seattle Kraken are an expansion team in the National Hockey League (NHL) and are not yet eligible to win the Stanley Cup.
5. The secret to beating the Seattle Kraken
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the secret to beating the Seattle Kraken will vary depending on the team’s strengths and weaknesses. However, some tips on how to beat the Kraken include:
- Finding ways to nullify their top players
- Exploiting their goaltending depth chart
- Taking advantage of their lack of physicality4) Generating offense from all four lines5) Keeping composed and avoiding costly penalties.