LAS VEGAS (AP) — A season after their surprising run to the Stanley Cup Final Authentic Oscar Fantenberg Jersey , the Vegas Golden Knights are finally starting to look like an expansion team.The Knights were in sixth place in the Pacific Division on Monday after a slow start to a season that finally saw them make progress after a five-game home stand capped by Sunday night’s 4-3 overtime win over the Ottawa Senators.“Somebody just said in the dressing room we had a five-game home stand and we’re 3-1-1,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. “And it doesn’t feel like that because (we started) off 1-4 when we got back home. So, we had a good home stand but it doesn’t feel like that.”Perhaps it’s because last season the Golden Knights were 8-3 through their first 11 games and just three points out of the division lead. They had outscored the opposition 41-31 as they got their inaugural season off to a rapid start. Vegas also allowed three or more goals just four times in that span. The season, of course, ended with them falling short of the Stanley Cup.This season so far, Vegas has been outscored 30-26 and the Knights have allowed three or more goals seven times.Noticeably missing from the second line are James Neal, who at this time last year led the team with seven goals and 10 points, and David Perron, who had contributed four goals, four assists. Neal is now in Calgary and Perron is in St. Louis and their presumed replacements — Max Pacioretty and Paul Stastny — are on the shelf.Stastny has missed the last eight games and isn’t expected to return until December, while Pacioretty came off the ice Friday after being drilled by Tampa Bay’s Braydon Coburn. He didn’t play Sunday. Cody Eakin did, and left the game in the first period after being leveled by Mark Borowiecki.The team is also still without lead defenseman Nate Schmidt, who is serving a 20-game suspension after testing positive for a banned substance, while defenseman Deryk Engelland recently returned from an injury.“Everybody has injuries, you have to come out to play our game and do the best you can when you’re in the lineup. … We’ve done that from last year, and I think most teams do that Tanner Pearson Jersey ,” Gallant said. “You do the best you can with what you’ve got.”The top line of Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith has combined to score 25 points. And while the second and third lines have been plagued by lineup changes due to the injuries and have yet to find the right chemistry, the fourth line of Ryan Reaves, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and William Carrier have produced several quality shifts.Reaves, who arrived in February with a reputation for being an enforcer, has hardly looked like the bruiser who has had more than 60 fights in his career. His mere presence has provided a consistent energy the Golden Knights can count on for a spark. Of his three goals this season, two were game-tying shots and the other was a game-winner.“Ryan Reaves is a fan favorite, he is a tough guy and it definitely energizes our group,” Gallant said. “He is a popular player and he puts the work in and does a lot of work for the physical side of it, but he is also playing real good hockey for us.”He is part of the team’s power-play package that needs immediate improvement. After going 1-for-5 on Sunday, they’re now 4-for-37 (10.8 percent) on the power play, ranking 29th in the NHL. They have scored four in their last five games, however.“It’s not only the shots that we have, it’s also the quality of shots that we have,” said Marchessault, who leads the team with 11 points Jonny Brodzinski Jersey Womens , including Sunday’s game-winner in overtime with a penalty shot. “The quality needs to be better. We need to cash in on all of our chances. We just need to come back to our bases. It’s about playing well defensively and we definitely need to get better from everybody, especially facing the injuries we have right now.”Vegas heads to Nashville on Tuesday and St. Louis on Thursday, before returning Saturday to host Carolina.“We want to win, we want to play better, and we want to make sure things are going,” Gallant said. PHILADELPHIA (AP) Claude Giroux capped the best season of his career in spectacular fashion.Giroux earned his first career hat trick in the regular season and the Philadelphia Flyers clinched a playoff berth in their final regular-season game with a 5-0 victory over the New York Rangers on Saturday.Giroux finished with 34 goals and 102 points. He extended his career highs in points and goals while becoming the sixth player in franchise history to reach 100 points in a season.”He was dialed in,” coach Dave Hakstol said.Giroux said a key to his performance in such a crucial game was keeping his emotions in check.”When you wake up, you try to be not jacked up,” he said. ”You learn while you go through seasons. You don’t want to try to do too much.”Michael Raffl and Ivan Provorov also scored for the Flyers, who needed at least one point to make the playoffs and eliminate the Florida Panthers from postseason contention.”We had a lot of good performances tonight and that’s what it takes,” Hakstol said.The Flyers (42-26-14) are returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, and will be vying for their third Stanley Cup. The club won back-to-back titles in 1973-74 and 1974-75.”We have to turn the page and get excited again,” Giroux said.The Flyers’ captain scored his first two goals during Philadelphia’s dominating second period in which it outscored the Rangers 3-0 thanks in part to an 18-5 shots advantage.Giroux put the Flyers ahead 2-0 with 7:36 left in the second when his shot from the left circle got through Henrik Lundqvist’s legs after a screen by Nolan Patrick.Raffl made it a three-goal lead when he took the rebound of Radko Gudas‘ shot from the point with a turnaround shot that got past Lundqvist’s right pad with 2:07 left in the period.And Philadelphia set a club record for the quickest two goals when Giroux fired past Lundqvist’s glove side with a wrist shot from the slot just 6 seconds after Raffl’s tally to make it 4-0. Raffl set up the play by intercepting a Rangers pass at the blue line and dropping a pass to Giroux.The fans unleashed a thunderous ”M-V-P!” `’M-V-P!” chant for Giroux when he was shown on the video board after his second tally.And Giroux had the sold-out crowd of 20,028 in a frenzy when he scored his third on a breakaway with 9:49 left in the third period. Hundreds of hats littered the ice, causing a seven-minute delay, and Giroux smiled on the video board and waved to the crowd Womens Tyler Toffoli Jersey , which gave him a standing ovation.”(Giroux) has worked hard,” Hakstol said. ”He earned that and he’s very deserving of that moment.”The Rangers (34-39-9), who are out of the postseason for the first time since 2009-10, ended their regular season with their ninth loss in the last 11.Lundqvist said New York needs to hit the reset button this offseason.”It’s about winning games and getting back to the playoffs,” he said. ”We need to set that goal right away. If you’re here, you’re here to make a difference. I think we can turn this around real quick.”Brian Elliott made 17 saves in his second game in goal after returning in Thursday’s 4-3 win over Carolina following a 25-game absence because of core muscle surgery on Feb. 13.Elliott was shaky in the win over the Hurricanes, allowing a pair of soft goals while making 19 saves. He didn’t have much action against the Rangers.Provorov got the Flyers on the board 6 1/2 minutes into the game when he scored on a 6-on-5 advantage as a result of a delayed penalty. Sean Couturier sent the puck toward the crease from the left of the goal, and the puck caromed off Provorov’s right shoulder and past Lundqvist. The goal stood after an officials’ review.NOTES: D Brady Skjei is the only Rangers player to appear in every game this season. Four Flyers: Couturier, Provorov, Giroux and Jakub Voracek, accomplished the feat for Philadelphia. … Eric Lindros was the previous Flyers player to reach 100 points, with 115 in the 1995-96 season. Giroux’s other hat trick came in Game 2 of the first round of the 2012 playoffs against the Penguins. … LW Matt Beleskey, acquired in the trade that sent Rick Nash to the Bruins on Feb. 25, made his Rangers debut and C Steven Fogarty made his NHL debut for New York.UP NEXTRangers: End of regular seasonFlyers: First-round playoff series.—