Jamie Benn became a Golden Knights villain in one ugly moment, but the numbers say his damage in Vegas colors has been pretty limited.
The flashpoint came in Game 3 of the 2023 Western Conference Final, when the Dallas Stars were trying to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole against the Vegas Golden Knights. In the middle of that push, Benn delivered a scary cross-check on Mark Stone.
Stars fans can dress it up however they want - finishing the check, keeping him down - but it was a dirty cross-check that earned a game misconduct. Dallas lost that game, then lost the series.
That one play was enough to turn a huge chunk of the Golden Knights fanbase against Benn and, by extension, against the Stars. It also helped fuel a rivalry that has taken hold in the NHL in recent years.
But if the question is whether Benn has been a constant thorn in Vegas’ side over the course of his career, the answer is not really. Against the Golden Knights, Benn has five goals and seven assists in 22 games.
He’s only had two multi-point games against them, on February 25, 2023 and January 29, 2026. For a player who carries the reputation of a villain in this matchup, that production is underwhelming.
There are Stars teammates who have done more damage. Jason Robertson has matched Benn’s goal total against Vegas in fewer games, doing it in 15 contests while also adding five assists and three multi-point games.
Wyatt Johnston has been even more effective, piling up six goals and four assists in just 12 games against the Golden Knights. He had only one assist in his first six games in the matchup, but the overall line still makes him a far more troublesome opponent statistically.
So Benn’s place in this rivalry comes down to one brutal moment more than a long trail of scoring. The hit on Stone was dirty and unnecessary, and Stone’s history of back and spinal injuries only made it hit harder with Golden Knights fans. They have not forgotten it, and they make sure Benn hears about it whenever they get the chance.
In Other News...
John Tortorella Just Made His Next Move Impossible To Ignore
John Tortorellas run behind the Vegas bench ended the way so many interim stints do, with a strong finish that still wasnt enough to change the long-term plan. He guided the Golden Knights to the Western Conference championship after stepping in during the season, giving the team stability and a late push when it mattered most.
Now the focus shifts to what comes next for Tortorella, who has made it clear he still wants to coach and is waiting to see whether another opportunity opens up. The uncertainty around his future only adds to the oddness of a season in which he helped steady Vegas, then quickly found himself looking at the league from the outside again. [Read more 🡒]
The Golden Knights Still Have One Cup Problem To Solve
For a franchise that has been a contender almost from the moment it entered the league, the Golden Knights next step is less about finding a new identity than smoothing out the rough edges that still show up when the games tighten. Vegas already has the kind of top-end talent and recent pedigree that keeps it in the Stanley Cup conversation, but the path back to the top is going to depend on more than star power carrying the load every night.
The middle of the lineup has not always supplied enough offense to keep pressure off the top scorers, and the blue line could use more production beyond Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo. Add in the kind of playoff stretches where chances were there but the finish was not, and the picture becomes clear: the Golden Knights are still built to contend, but their biggest challenge may be turning good enough into complete enough when the stakes rise. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Fans May Not Love Where This Tortorella Story Leads
Patrick Kanes return to Chicago closed the door on one of the summers more intriguing free-agent sagas, with the veteran winger reportedly drawing interest from a wide swath of NHL teams before settling back with the Blackhawks. Among the clubs believed to have been in the mix were Buffalo, Toronto and Edmonton, a reminder that even late in his career, Kane still had plenty of options before choosing familiarity.
Ryan Reaves is also trying to squeeze one more season out of his NHL run, and he has spent the offseason training with that in mind. For the Golden Knights, though, the more interesting thread may be John Tortorellas desire to keep coaching in the league after Vegas went in a different direction following its Stanley Cup Final appearance, a decision that left the market and the teams next move connected in a way fans here probably will not love. [Read more 🡒]