How did we get here?
It’s a broad question with many answers, some that aren’t the easiest to come up with.
Which is the perfect transition to talking about the Vegas Golden Knights. How did they get here?
How did they get to within one win of a fourth trip to the Western Conference Final in nine years, in a season mired with so much negativity and uncertainty?
The Knights can punch their ticket to being one of the NHL’s final four teams with a win in Game 6 over the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Those aren’t words that weren’t likely to be written just over a month ago, unless you’re a player in that locker room.
The Knights were four points out of a wild-card spot on March 29 when coach Bruce Cassidy was fired, and then the team brought in John Tortorella to provide some semblance of a spark.
That turned into a 7-0-1 finish to the regular season, a Pacific Division title and now a win away from playing for a spot in the Stanley Cup Final.
Plenty of hockey remains to be played, and we’re looking back a little early with one more win to go to advance, but here’s a recap of a season’s notable ebbs and flows, one that now can be labeled as successful:
Dec. 23 — Christmas blues
The Knights went into the Christmas break at 17-8-10 and first place in the Pacific Division.
That was the good news. The downside was the overtime losses were racking up. Chances at earning the second point went by the wayside too many times.
The Knights were locked into a three-way tie for first place with Anaheim and the Edmonton Oilers. They went into the Christmas break after a 7-2 win over San Jose.
That was the only win over the next nine games. The Knights went 1-6-2 heading into a Jan. 6 game in Winnipeg.
Jan. 6 — Turning the tide
A come-from-behind 4-3 overtime victory over the Jets kickstarted a seven-game win streak that seemed to turn the team’s direction.
The Knights handled business. They only beat one playoff team — the Los Angeles Kings — in that stretch on Jan. 14. The next night, the Knights beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-5 in overtime in Mitch Marner’s first game against his former team.
Jan. 18 — The trade, and losing
Three days later, the Knights completed the biggest blockbuster trade to date by trading for defenseman Rasmus Andersson from the Calgary Flames.
Andersson didn’t make his Knights debut until Jan. 23 in Toronto, but the string of winning died quickly, losing seven of their next eight games.
Andersson admitted it took time to get adjusted with the trade, but he eventually found his footing and finished with 17 points in 33 games.
Feb. 27-March 28 — The low point
The month that followed the Winter Olympic break was as close to rock bottom as the Knights have ever felt, going 4-10-2 over a 16-game stretch.
Combine players returning from best-on-best competition, and a condensed schedule, the Knights couldn’t get into a rhythm.
It came to a head on March 26 and 28. The Knights played overtime games against the Oilers and Washington Capitals, two games that they felt they should’ve been engaged for, but lost both.
March 29 — End of an era
The following day, the Knights fired Cassidy after less than four years with the team and one Stanley Cup championship.
The Knights felt the messaging from Cassidy was getting “stale,” so the team turned to Tortorella to right the ship.
The fiery bench boss with more than two decades of experience was tasked with steering the ship in the right direction.
March 30-April 15 — The high point
Tortorella did that by leading the Knights to a 7-0-1 mark in the final eight games of the season to clinch the fifth Pacific Division title in nine years.
April 19-May 12 — Still alive
And now, the Knights still find themselves well in the thick of contention.
Someone was going to need to come out of the Pacific side of the playoff bracket at some point. The Knights weren’t shy on making it entertaining. They won three straight over Utah in the first round to rally after losing two of the first three.
Now, they’re one win away from another trip to the conference final.
The vibes were low at the beginning. They’re high now.
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
Up next
Who: Golden Knights at Ducks
What: Game 6, second round (Knights lead 3-2)
When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Honda Center
TV: TNT, truTV, HBO Max
Radio: KFLG 94.7 FM/KKGK 1340 AM
Line: Knights -115; total 6