Vegas Golden Knights: Daunting February could be make or break

It has hardly been a vintage year for the Vegas Golden Knights and it isn’t going to get any easier either.

About to exit the bye week with a disappointing record of 25-20-27, things are about to get very real for the Vegas Golden Knights.

Because, after the Knights play the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, a monster February schedule will get underway.

And it looks UGLY.

More from Vegas Hockey Knight

Including two games against the surging Tampa Bay Lightning and showdowns with elite teams in the ilk of the Washington Capitals and the St. Louis Blues, the Golden Knights will be up against it in February.

Here is next month’s slate in full:

@ Nashville Predators, Feb. 1
@ Tampa Bay Lightning, Feb. 4
@ Florida Panthers, Feb. 6
Vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Feb. 8
@ Minnesota Wild, Feb. 11
Vs. St. Louis Blues, Feb. 13
Vs. New York Islanders, Feb. 15
Vs. Washington Capitals, Feb. 17
Vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, Feb. 20
Vs. Florida Panthers, Feb. 22
@ Anaheim Ducks, Feb. 23
Vs. Edmonton Oilers, Feb. 26
Vs. Buffalo Sabres, Feb. 28

I’ve got three words for that schedule. Tough as hell.

And February could prove to be make or break for the Vegas Golden Knights.

Because, although being in a Pacific Division where no team seems to want to take charge, you eventually have to start putting together sequence of wins.

The Golden Knights haven’t carved out more than four consecutive victories this year, and that will need to change down the stretch if they are to secure home ice advantage in the postseason, let alone even stamp their playoff tickets.

But perhaps the toughest period of the year will need to be navigated in February and how Vegas emerges from that month will tell us a lot about this team going forward.

Granted, the one biggest positive is the fact that eight of the Knights’ 13 games next month will take place at T-Mobile Arena, where they have a record of 14-10-3.

However, that is all well and good but the Golden Knights will still need to win those games or risk losing further ground in an ultra-competitive Pacific Division.

Just look at some of the opponents that are on the slate in February; the red hot Tampa Bay Lightning who are really starting to hit their stride, the St. Louis Blues who are arguably the best team in the Western Conference and the Washington Capitals who are leading the entire NHL.

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 09: Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby (70) makes a second period save on shot by Vegas Golden Knights right wing Ryan Reaves (75) who is defended by defenseman John Carlson (74) on November 9, 2019, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Not to mention that nine of the 13 games in February will be against teams in playoff contention, 10 including the Buffalo Sabres who are on the outside looking in.

And, when you throw in a showdown with divisional rivals the Edmonton Oilers into the mix, then that adds an extra layer of importance to February for the Golden Knights.

At this point, all five teams battling it out for top spot in the Pacific Division will face a tough run down the stretch, so it is up to the Knights to keep their own house in order during the month of February.

As it stands, Vegas is projected to finish fifth in the Pacific Division with a 52.5% chance of making the playoffs, and just a 4.7% percent chance to win the division according to Hockey Reference. The Vancouver Canucks have a 51.3% chance to win the Pacific.

Sticking with the Pacific, it is also interesting to note that the Golden Knights have the hardest remaining schedule out of the five teams in contention, according to Power Rankings Guru.

For context, let’s look at the remaining strength of schedule for the five teams jostling for supremacy in the Pacific, starting with the hardest and finishing with the easiest, with a low opponent average ranking indicating a difficult schedule and a high opponent averaging ranking suggesting an easier schedule:

Vegas Golden Knights – 15.47
Arizona Coyotes – 15.67
Edmonton Oilers – 16.23
Vancouver Canucks – 16.35
Calgary Flames – 18.07

So, going by the above, not only do the Golden Knights face a monstrous February, but they also have a much tougher remaining strength of schedule than their rivals in the Pacific, which isn’t a good omen, plus they also have the ninth hardest schedule remaining in the entire NHL.

Not good Bob, not good.

There is also the added caveat of the Trade Deadline on Feb. 24, being a distraction, and it is likely that some players will go and fresh faces will take their place.

But, if the Vegas Golden Knights are to unlock their true potential and become the team we all think they are, then they are going to need to put the pedal to the metal and rise to the occasion in the month of February.

If they can emerge from arguably their toughest portion of the regular season, then the Golden Knights will be in very good shape for the final stretch and a lot of pressing questions would have been answered.

Next. Golden Knights must avoid a repeat of bye week history. dark

But, if they stumble through the next month then March and April could be extremely uncomfortable for this team.

Buckle up because it is about to get very interesting for the Vegas Golden Knights.

Home / Analysis