Silver Knights open playoff run with Golden Knights backing, fun momentum

Two goals in the final 1:26 against Tucson flipped Henderson’s spring from nervous late-season chase to a playoff berth, and now the Silver Knights are carrying that surge into a first-round series that matters far beyond Lee’s Family Forum.

Henderson clinched its spot in the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs with a 5-4 comeback win on April 4, then got the bracket reward of a best-of-three matchup with the San Jose Barracuda. All three possible games are at home in Henderson, with the opener set for Wednesday, April 22, followed by Friday, April 24, and Sunday, April 26 if needed. In a Pacific Division where seven teams qualify and the top seed gets a bye, every edge matters, and Henderson earned the right to spend this round in front of its own building.

That home ice comes with a full playoff push. Single-game tickets went on sale April 20 at 10 a.m. PT, starting at $29, with free parking for every home game. The club also rolled out a Silver Savings menu featuring $5 hot dogs, pretzels, popcorn, Fan Favorite Nachos and French Fries, plus rally towels for the crowd. The games are being carried on 1230 AM The Game and streamed on FloHockey, a setup that should keep the series visible well beyond the building.

The bigger number is the one Henderson put together after the All-Star break: a 17-3-3 run that turned a good season into a dangerous one. Head coach Ryan Craig framed that push as the product of a learning process and growing buy-in, which is the kind of explanation that matters in April because it usually points to something sturdier than a hot streak. Tanner Laczynski put a simpler label on it: “fun hockey right now.”

That is exactly the kind of line the Golden Knights want to hear from their affiliate. Henderson is supposed to be more than a minor-league stopover, and a deep run would reinforce that the organization is developing players who can handle pressure, not just pile up regular-season points. The challenge is still real, though. The Silver Knights were swept in the first round by the Colorado Eagles in 2022, their last playoff trip, so this group is not just chasing a series win. It is trying to show that the pipeline can produce bodies, confidence and playoff-ready habits when Vegas needs them most.