Remember when Jon Merrill scored that game-winner? That was awesome. (Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)
The Golden Knights became the first team in the Western Conference, and joined the Tampa Bay Lighting as the only teams in the NHL, to reach 80 points. Vegas maintained its 10 point lead in the Pacific Division and continue chugging along towards not just a playoff berth, but possibly home-ice advantage throughout.
With the consistent, sustainable, success the Golden Knights have finally appeared to have broken through the glass ceiling of national media belief. Check out the latest power rankings from around the US and Canada.
ESPN – #1
Sports Illustrated – #1
NHL.com – #2
USA Today – #2
CBS Sports – #3
Sportsnet – #5
NBC Sports – #6
The Hockey News – #6
Yahoo – #8
Viva Vegas! We love that you are making us all look like fools and giving us a fun story to write about. -Luke Fox, Sportsnet
Then there’s Yahoo…
In the last month, Vegas is 7-5-2 and needed a few miracles to get that far. They’ve also won just one of their last four home games. If you’re wondering about anyone having developed a cure for the Vegas Flu, that seems fair and reasonable. -Ryan Lambert, Yahoo
Right, the team stinks now because they had a 14 game stretch of point per game hockey. Guess there always has to be one outlier.
Nonetheless, two top spots, two more second places, and every single ranking in the top eight is pretty darn impressive.
We just can’t wait for playoff time to see what they’re really about. -Cody Benjamin, CBSSports.com
What they’re really about… (Eye roll emoji)
R.J. Smith
Yahoo is a bunch of hacks that were at the bottom of the class in Journalism school. Half the stories they put out are never proof-read for facts or spelled properly. That being said, the Knights are doing just fine, with or without the media’s fawning over them.
Onward Knights!
Eric
Some places need to describe what they’re ranking a little better.
If they’re ranking the best teams over the course of the season, there’s no excuse for the Knights to not be a Top 4 team. If they’re ranking recent power over the past few weeks, the Yahoo rankings a lot more accurate.
I vote in the Reddit Hockey Power Rankings, and I think I put the Knights at 5th this past Sunday, which I thought was a pretty fair ranking, perhaps a little homer-ish.
They just need to make their process and methodology more clear.
David Bergstraesser
Yahoo has a SERIOUS bias against the Knights. Look at prior stories they’ve written. Not sure why…
Bob
There is a reason I never ever went to Yahoo for anything much less sports.
Bent Hermit
Lambert is an idiot. Yahoo finally gave him the boot along with some other people. I don’t think he actually ever watched hockey.