Tonight the Golden Knights play their 30th game of the season. It’s a home against the 11-11-7 Carolina Hurricanes (29 points) who lost last night in Anaheim.

They better get at least 1 point so we don’t need to research 39 points in 30 games. (Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

Vegas enters the game with 39 points and has a chance to join four other teams (TB, STL, NSH, LAK) to reach the 40 point plateau by their 30th game.

You should be asking yourself, why do I care about getting 40 points in the first 30 games of the season? Well here’s why.

Since the 2010-11 season, a total of 35 teams have hit that mark. 33 of them went to the playoffs and 32 of them reached 100 points on the season. (See full breakdown below)

Let’s put that in percentages. Teams that reach 40 points in 30 games have made the playoffs at a 94.3% rate and have finished with at least 100 points 91.4% of the time. Thus, if the Golden Knights earn a single point tonight against the Hurricanes, they have just a 5.7% chance of missing the playoffs… at least that’s what history says, but what does history know?

*** Chart of teams that reached 40 points in 30 games**

2016-17

Columbus -46 after 30 (Finished with 108)
Pittsburgh – 43 after 30 (Finished with 102)
Montreal – 42 after 30 (Finished with 103)
Washington – 41 after 30 (Finished with 118)
New York Rangers – 41 after 30 (Finished with 102)
Chicago – 40 after 30 (Finished with 109)
Minnesota – 40 after 30 (Finished with 106)

2015-16

Washington – 46 after 30 (Finished with 120)
Dallas – 46 after 30 (Finished with 109)
*Montreal – 41 after 30 (Finished with 82)
Los Angeles – 40 after 30 (Finished with 102)

2014-15

Pittsburgh – 44 after 30 (Finished with 98)
Anaheim – 43 after 30 (Finished with 109)
St. Louis – 42 after 30 (Finished with 109)
Nashville – 42 after 30 (Finished with 104)
Tampa Bay – 41 after 30 (Finished with 108)
Chicago – 41 after 30 (Finished with 102)
Detroit – 41 after 30 (Finished with 100)
New York Islanders – 40 after 30 (Finished with 101)

2013-14

St. Louis – 45 after 30 (Finished with 111)
Chicago – 44 after 30 (Finished with 102)
San Jose – 43 after 30 (Finished with 111)
Boston – 42 after 30 (Finished with 117)
Colorado – 42 after 30 (Finished with 112)
Los Angeles 42 after 30 (Finished with 100)
Anaheim – 41 after 30 (Finished with 116)
Pittsburgh 41 after 30 (Finished with 109)

2011-12

Philadelphia – 43 after 30 (Finished with 103)
*Minnesota – 43 after 30 (Finished with 81)
Boston – 41 after 30 (Finished with 102)
New York Rangers – 40 after 30 (Finished with 109)
Chicago – 40 after 30 (Finished with 101)

2010-11

Detroit – 43 after 30 (Finished with 104)
Pittsburgh – 42 after 30 (Finished with 106)
Philadephia – 41 after 30 (Finished with 106)

*Missed playoffs