The Vegas Golden Knights have experienced plenty of success in the franchise's short existence, having only been founded in 2017. The team reached the Stanley Cup final in its inaugural season, and have been playoff mainstays since joining the NHL eight years ago.
Throughout the franchise's existence, they've missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs just one time, during the 2021–22 season in which they narrowly missed out on a wild card spot.
We're going to take a look at the Golden Knights' history in the Stanley Cup finals, detailing both of their visits to the NHL's biggest stage.
Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup Finals History
2017-18, 4–1 defeat against the Washington Capitals
In their inaugural season, the Golden Knights stunned the league by reaching the Stanley Cup final. Unfortunately, the magic dissipated there, as they fell to the Capitals in a five-game series. Vegas won Game 1 but proceeded to drop four in a row to bow out of the postseason.
Leading the charge for Vegas that year was Reilly Smith, who recorded six points in five games, including three goals. After scoring six goals as a team in the first game of the series, Vegas struggled to make paydirt in the next three games, a span in which they scored just five goals.
It wasn't to be for Vegas in their first year as a franchise, but they would return to the Stanley Cup final before long.
2022-23, 4–1 victory against the Florida Panthers
During the franchise's second trip to the Stanley Cup final, Vegas managed to win a title after taking down the Panthers in five games. The team's offense was unstoppable throughout the series, tallying a total of 26 goals, including nine in Game 5 and seven in Game 3.
Mark Stone led the charge for the Golden Knights, racking up nine points including five goals in the series. Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault also made major contributions, each coming away with eight points.
To win a title in the sixth year of an organization's existence is no easy feat, but the Golden Knights got the job done in 2023, and deservedly so.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Vegas Golden Knights Championship Wins & Stanley Cup Finals History.
