(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)
For the third straight season the Golden Knights sit first or second in the Pacific Division standings by Christmas Day. The evidence is clear, under Bruce Cassidy, Vegas has become the most prepared team coming out of training camp for three consecutive years. No other franchise has been as consistent through the first 30+ games since 2022.
In 2022-23, the Golden Knights went into the Christmas break in first place and remained there for the entire season. Last year, Vegas couldn’t hold their late December first place position and entered the postseason as the eighth seed. This season expect the Golden Knights to clinch the division and conference or close to it. A second half dip is unlikely to repeat itself.
Sure, it’s painful to rehash the Golden Knights miserable slip in 2024 but it should be noted that it began around this time last year. From January 1st, 2024 to the end of the regular season, Vegas was the 22nd best team in the NHL. Or you can the Golden Knights were the eighth worst team based on points and points percentage.
We’ve got a lot of wins, a lot of comebacks. We’ve just shown how strong we are as a team. We just have to keep pushing. -Tomas Hertl
To match their dreadful second half play the Golden Knights would likely have to go on several three-game losing streaks, drop four games in a five game road trip and/or lose to Arizona, Vancouver and Edmonton in three consecutive games in April. The Golden Knights will have a chance to make up for the missed opportunities of last winter and spring. Certainly, it’s on Cassidy’s mind.
