In seven completed seasons, the Golden Knights have reached the playoffs six times. They have advanced to the Western Conference Finals four times. They have competed in two Stanley Cup Finals, and they won the 2023 Stanley Cup. And yet, they’ve done all of it without ever having a power play operate at better than 22%.
For whatever reason, Vegas has never been able to put together a power play that strikes fear in their opponents. They’ve finished in the bottom third of the NHL in PP% in four of the first seven seasons and they’ve been below average in all but two. A few times, power play was the primary reason the Golden Knights’ season ended, most notably in the 2021 Conference Final in which they went 0 for 15 against the Montreal Canadiens.
Well, the days of power play futility appear to be in the past. The 2024-25 Golden Knights currently hold the #2 power play in the NHL and have a legitimate shot at claiming the top spot with 18 games to play. VGK’s power play has converted on a whopping 29% of their opportunities. That blows away the rest of franchise history.
VGK PP History
24-25: 44 for 152 (29.0%)
19-20: 42 for 191 (22.0%)
17-18: 52 for 248 (21.0%)
22-23: 42 for 207 (20.3%)
23-24: 51 for 252 (20.2%)
21-22: 39 for 212 (18.4%)
20-21: 31 for 174 (17.8%)
18-19: 39 for 232 (16.8%)
Individually, every member of the top unit is putting up historical numbers in franchise history. There are still 18 games to go in the season and Jack Eichel already holds the franchise single-season high in power play points with 29. Mark Stone is 2nd in points with 24, Hertl is 5th with 20, and even Shea Theodore who has missed 11 games is 8th with 19.
The franchise high in power play goals before this year was 11 by Erik Haula in 2017-18. Hertl already has 12 while Pavel Dorofeyev has 11.
There’s only one real issue with this season’s power play; opportunity. This season’s team has generated just 3:44 of power play time per game. That’s by far the least in franchise history well behind the 22-23 team that posted 4:13. This season VGK are only getting 2.38 power play chances per game and are on track to finish with the fewest opportunities in a full season by more than 10.
Still, this year’s team is averaging 0.69 power play goals per game, which is well above the franchise record of 0.63 in the inaugural season. That number does not compare as strongly against the league though. Remember, VGK are currently 2nd in power play percentage at 29.0%. However, they are 9th in both power play goals per game and overall power play goals. And, there are just three teams in the league (CBJ, LAK, and STL) who have had fewer opportunities than the Golden Knights.
When the Golden Knights begin their run at the Stanley Cup in this year’s playoffs, they will finally boast a power play that will be a focal point on their opposition’s scouting report. It would be a surprise if any series this postseason ends without Vegas holding the edge in power play percentage. But, to really make it count, they’ll have to make sure to draw as many, if not more, than they take. So far so good on that in the regular season, but penalty calls ramp up in the postseason, so they’ll have to stay disciplined to truly take advantage of their newest weapon.
Leave a Reply