Vegas Golden Knights: With no more excuses, the real work starts tonight

The dust has now settled on the NHL Trade Deadline which means that the most important period of the year has arrived for the Vegas Golden Knights.

With the distraction of trade talk now out of the way, the Vegas Golden Knights and the rest of the National Hockey League can just focus on games.

And that is rather important given that we are about to head down the stretch of the regular season now.

This is where it gets real and this is where the fun really begins for teams, players, the media and fans alike.

More from Vegas Hockey Knight

• The moment the Vegas Golden Knights have been waiting for
• 3 Golden Knights players deserving of the Conn Smythe Trophy
• If Golden Knights win Stanley Cup, who should Mark Stone pass it to first?
• Why are Vegas Golden Knights fans obsessed with flamingos?
• Just one more game for Golden Knight supremacy

Playoff dreams will be achieved and postseason hopes will be shattered, and we’re all in for absolutely all of it.

There is also a lot at stake for the Golden Knights who have a lot of work to do before they can focus on the postseason.

They are no lock to stamp their playoff ticket given the haphazard nature of the Pacific Division this year, and there is no more room for error now.

Having upgraded at the Trade Deadline by acquiring Alec Martinez, Robin Lehner and Nick Cousins, there can be no more excuses for the Golden Knights.

In fairness, they have started to turn the corner after ripping off six straight wins, including navigating what was a hellish five-game homestand.

They knocked off elite team after elite team and proved that they have got the stomach for the fight ahead.

And it will be a fight.

It all starts tonight too against an Edmonton Oilers team that are snapping at the heels of the Knights as we enter the business portion of the regular season schedule.

Prior to tonight’s contest, the Oilers are third in the Pacific having lost in overtime to the Anaheim Ducks last night, but they have the same amount of points as the Vancouver Canucks (74) and they have played a game less than the Golden Knights.

So to say the showdown between Vegas and Edmonton at T-Mobile Arena is of paramount importance would be an understatement.

While playoff spots won’t be won tonight, either team can send out a clear statement with a win, thus setting the tone for the rest of the regular season.

The Golden Knights have shown over the last six games exactly what they are capable of, and the flaws that so hindered them during the first-half of the regular season can no longer rear their ugly heads.

What we have seen over the last few weeks has to now become the norm as Vegas attempts to win the Pacific while building some momentum heading into the postseason.

The moves made, particularly the Robin Lehner trade, further underlined this franchise’s desire to win now and they must play like winners down the stretch.

Mild excuses will no longer be so easily accepted and the Vegas Golden Knights must be prepared to go to work, starting tonight, in order to live up to their potential and deliver the championship they so crave.

Nothing else will be acceptable.