Darryl Sutter praises the Golden Knights

"On paper, they're the best team," Sutter remarked after his side was upset 3-2 by the Golden Knights on Sunday. "If you look at it, they're definitely the best team out west, possibly other than the Stanley Cup-winning team."

"You'll have to pass through here if you want to go out of (the West)." Alternatively, if you want to get in, you'll have to defeat this team... To tell you the truth, it's not even close."

This is tremendous praise from a well-known Sutter coach. These teams, along with Sutter's own Flames, compete in the Western Conference, where he believes the Golden Knights are the best. Still, the Avalanche is the only team that has a better name on paper.

An injury-plagued season for the Golden Knights They've played without Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone, Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, Alec Martinez, Shea Theodore, and Zach Whitecloud for several games this season. The good news is that they're becoming better and their play should improve.