Marchessault was eliminated after helping the Vegas Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history with a 9-3 victory over the Florida Panthers in Game 5 at T-Mobile Arena. The forward received 13 first place votes out of 18 Professional Hockey Writers Association ballots. Jack Eichel He got the other five votes.
Marchessault, one of six players remaining in the Golden Knights’ inaugural season in 2017-18, tied for the NHL lead in goals (13) and was second in points (25) in 22 playoff games. He also had eight points (four goals, four assists) in the Stanley Cup Finals and finished the playoffs on a 10-point streak (eight goals, seven assists).
His run came after a slow start in the playoffs. He had only two assists in five games against the Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference First Round.
“I wasn’t happy with my first round, but at the end of the day we found a way to win hockey games, and a bunch of guys came at the right time, and I wanted to contribute and help my team win hockey games, and we still do it without producing.” That’s one of the things that happened in the playoffs that The year in every round there was always someone leading up which was great. Honestly, you can’t get here with one or two players, you’ll get here hard. organization, which is something you can really do. To be proud of it.
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Marchessault found his scoring touch in the second round, finishing with eight points (five goals, three assists) in the last four games of the series, including hitting a hat-trick in a 5-2 win in Game 6 to eliminate the Edmonton Oilers. He then had seven points (four goals, three assists) in six games against the Dallas Stars in the Conference Finals.
“Being inside. I think it was the third game there (in Edmonton), scoring two goals. jack [Eichel] “He wasn’t getting into those areas,” said Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy, “he was relying on his shooting, and slowly he got there and got rewarded. Then suddenly he doubled, and on the winning game (against Edmonton) he got a triple. One of them was in the top of the The tuck, the other in the elbow (cleavage), but he’s starting to work a lot on the inside.
between him and [Ivan] Barbashev goes to the net, with a guy like Jack who can draw people in, it turns out to be an effective line because of that. Too good for him, he gets it. It didn’t affect the rest of the game, and it’s pending. »
Marchessault is the Golden Knights’ all-time leader in a number of offensive categories, including goals (150), assists (198), points (348), power-play goals (34), power-ups (86) and game-winning goals (27). ). He is also their playoff leader (34) and points (71), and is one of only three players (William CarlsonAnd Riley Smith) to play in all 88 games in Vegas history.
But as he said on Tuesday, getting to this point has been a “bumpy road.” As an undrafted free agent, Marchessault played for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Tampa Bay Lightning before signing with the Panthers on July 1, 2016. He had 51 points (30 goals, 21 assists) in 75 games, but remained unprotected. He accepted the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft and was eventually claimed by Vegas, becoming an original draft pick.
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Marchessault and the Golden Knights advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season in 2017-18, losing to the Washington Capitals in five games. Now, five years later, Marchesault is thrilled to be able to help Vegas finish the job.
“Certainly a lot of hard work has been done, especially over the past few years, to achieve my goal,” Marquisault said. “My wife has been amazing and to be honest, you don’t hear enough about the importance she places on the career of professional athletes and I’m so glad I’m able to do it. There were a lot of bumps and bruises along the way and it’s great now to see my journey where it took me, which is something I will cherish it for the rest of my life.”
Marquessault also loved him along with the other five “Golden Misfits”: Carlson, Smith, Shea TheodoreAnd Carrier clouds And Bryden McNab.
“It was definitely an amazing ride,” said Marquesault. “Even the first year, we had so much fun with the T-Mobile fans, the energy, and we were voted Best Playground for a reason. The chance to win it all, and we did it. Honestly, our team delivered tonight. We were dominating the whole game and I was very proud to do that in front of our fans, a moment I will never forget.”
