It was business as usual for the Golden Knights when they faced the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Sunday.
The Knights’ roster has plenty of postseason experience. Fourteen of the players in the lineup lifted the Stanley Cup with the team in 2023. One of those that didn’t, left wing Brandon Saad, has won two championships with the Chicago Blackhawks.
The only skater that hadn’t been part of a playoff atmosphere before Sunday’s 4-2 win at T-Mobile Arena was left wing Victor Olofsson. The 29-year-old’s only previous postseason experience as a professional came in the American Hockey League in 2019.
But Olofsson, after 370 NHL games, got to start in his playoff debut Sunday.
“Excitement, for sure,” Olofsson said. “Being in the playoffs, I think every player that’s in the league, you want to play in (that environment) as a player. We’re finally here and I’m really excited for it.”
What he was looking for
Playing in the postseason was atop Olofsson’s wish list when searching for a new team as a free agent last offseason.
He has made more than $18 million in his career, according to the website Puckpedia, so money wasn’t his main motivating factor. He wanted to be on a winner.
The Knights signed him to a one-year, $1.075 million contract July 2, one day after they watched six players — center Chandler Stephenson, left wing William Carrier, defenseman Alec Martinez and right wings Jonathan Marchessault, Michael Amadio and Anthony Mantha — leave in free agency.
Olofsson, a three-time 20-goal scorer, was brought in to replace some of the production the team lost. He finished with 15 goals and 29 points in 56 games this season despite missing a month and a half with a lower-body injury.
“What we’ve gotten from Victor is good hockey play,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He’s scored some goals for us. That probably would’ve extrapolated to 20 goals (if he didn’t get injured). That’s what we were hoping to get out of him.”
Swedish connection
Olofsson has played almost everywhere in the lineup this season, from the first line with former Buffalo Sabres teammate Jack Eichel to the fourth.
He found a home when fellow Sweden native William Karlsson returned from a lower-body injury March 20. Karlsson was reunited with Original Misfit Reilly Smith, who the Knights acquired prior to the trade deadline. Olofsson became the perfect complementary piece for the duo.
Karlsson and Smith, who play center and right wing, respectively, are strong playmakers. Olofsson’s job became to get open and shoot. He let it rip, firing 30 shots his final 10 games. The only player on the Knights with more in that span was right wing Pavel Dorofeyev (43), the team’s leading goal scorer.
Olofsson had four goals and seven points in that stretch to help his line hum. The Knights outscored opponents 6-0 at five-on-five in the regular season with Olofsson, Karlsson and Smith on the ice together.
Learning curve
Karlsson has been impressed by more than just Olofsson’s quick release.
“We obviously know he has (the shot),” Karlsson said. “But he brings speed and he’s very competitive with stick battles and second efforts, things like that. That kind of surprised me a little bit. I didn’t know he had that before the season.”
Olofsson’s defense has taken a major leap this year, which has earned him praise from Cassidy. He set career highs in plus-minus (plus-17), blocked shots (19) and hits (26).
That gave Cassidy the confidence to play Olofsson with two responsible defensive forwards in Karlsson and Smith. The trio was trusted to start Sunday’s game against Minnesota’s top line of left wing Kirill Kaprizov, center Joel Eriksson Ek and right wing Matt Boldy.
“Happy for (Olofsson),” Cassidy said. “(The playoffs) will be a learning curve a little bit. The intensity level goes up. It’ll be up to him to manage that.”
Contact Danny Webster at [email protected]. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
Up next
Who: Wild vs. Golden Knights (Knights lead 1-0)
What: Game 2, first round
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday
Where: T-Mobile Arena
TV: KMCC-34
Radio: KKGK (1340 AM/98.9 FM)
Line: Knights -250; total 5 1/2
Series schedule
All games on KMCC-34 and KKGK (1340 AM, 98.9 FM)
■ Game 1: Knights 4, Wild 2
■ Game 2: 8 p.m. Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena
■ Game 3: 6 p.m. Thursday at Xcel Energy Center
■ Game 4: 1 p.m. Saturday at Xcel Energy Center
■ *Game 5: TBD April 29 at T-Mobile Arena
■ *Game 6: TBD May 1 at Xcel Energy Center
■ *Game 7: TBD May 3 at T-Mobile Arena
* if necessary
