We’re at that point of the regular season where the stakes have never been higher for a plethora of teams, and you can put the Vegas Golden Knights into that category.
It is do or die time now with the Stanley Cup Playoffs rapidly approaching, and it really is now or never for the Vegas Golden Knights.
We’ve now entered the final full month of the 2019-20 NHL regular season, which is scary in itself, and there is still a whole lot up in the air when it comes to the playoffs.
Just look at the Pacific Division. Four teams all have a shot of winning the Pacific Division, although the Vancouver Canucks will need to break out of their current slump if they are to keep up with the top three.
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The Golden Knights currently sit atop the Pacific after claiming a big win in Calgary against the Flames on Sunday night, although they made life difficult for themselves after blowing a three-goal lead before Shea Theodore recorded the game-winner in the final couple of minutes.
And the Golden Knights really do have their destiny in their own hands with 12 games of the regular season remaining.
Starting tonight against an Edmonton Oilers team who sit just two points below them in the standings, the Knights really do control their fate when it comes to the playoffs.
With an 8-2-0 record in their last 10 games, Vegas will wrap up the Pacific Division and home-ice advantage in the postseason if they can keep up this current pace, although they have hardly been perfect.
For instance, the Knights have an ugly wart on their face when it comes to getting off to sluggish starts in games.
Prior to the win over the Flames last night, the Golden Knights had allowed a goal on the first shot of the game in three of their last four outings, while they had also been guilty of playing a sloppy first period in 11 of 12.
That simply won’t cut it in the postseason when goals are harder to come by, so Vegas can’t afford to give elite teams head starts if they want to embark on a deep run.
An inability to play a complete 60-minute game has also hindered the Golden Knights, as has their poor execution on the penalty kill which ranks 28th (76.6) in the NHL.
So, while they have shown promise over the last 10 or so games under Head Coach Peter DeBoer, there is still a lot of work to be done for the Vegas Golden Knights.
If they can right those wrongs and iron out those kinks in their game then the Golden Knights could be unstoppable come playoff time in April.
And, with only a few weeks of the regular season remaining, it really is up to the Golden Knights and how they approach what is a crucial slate of games.
It all starts tonight in what is a tantalizing showdown with the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place, and this is now do or die time for the Vegas Golden Knights who very much control their own destiny at the top of the Pacific Division.