Coming off the win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, we could be seeing plenty of opportunities to see a repeat of the physical nature of the games due to the nature of how the schedule plays out down the stretch. According to Money Puck, the Golden Knights have a 97.5 percent chance to make the playoffs. While making the playoffs, is not in question, barring a monumental collapse of epic proportions, the playoff positioning and battles are the keys to what we will expect. A lot of it will be playing out in the open over the next month.
Here is the remaining schedule for the Vegas Golden Knights with about a month to go before the regular season ends. The games in bold are teams currently in playoff position.
Sat Mar 11 – @ Carolina | 7:00p ET/4:00p PT | (Series: 1-0 VGK)
Sun Mar 12 – @ St. Louis | 7:00p ET/4:00p PT | (Series: 1-1)
Tue Mar 14 – @ Philadelphia | 7:00p ET/4:00p PT | {Series: 1-0 VGK)
Thu Mar 16 – vs. Calgary | 10:0p ET/7:00p PT | {Series: 1-1)
Sun Mar 19 – vs. Columbus | 4:00p ET/1:00p PT | (Series: 1-0 VGK)
Tue Mar 21 – @ Vancouver | 10:0p ET/7:00p PT | (Series: 1-1)
Thu Mar 23 – @ Calgary | 9:00p ET/6:00p PT
Sat Mar 25 – @ Edmonton | 10:00p ET/7:00p PT | (Series: 2-0 EDM)
Tue Mar 28 – vs. Edmonton | 10:00p ET/7:00p PT
Thu Mar 30 – @ San Jose | 10:00p ET/7:00p PT | (Series 2-1 VGK)
Sat Apr 1 – vs. Minnesota | 10:00p ET/7:00p PT | (Series: 1-0 VGK)
Mon Apr 3 – @ Minnesota | 8:00p ET/5:00p PT
Tue Apr 4 – @ Nashville | 8:00p ET/5:00p PT | (Series: 2-0 VGK)
Thu Apr 6 – vs. Los Angeles | 10:00p/7:00p PT | (Series: 2-1 LAK)
Sat. Apr 8 – @ Dallas | 3:30p ET/12:30p PT | (Series: 2-0 DAL)
Tue Apr 11 – vs. Seattle | 10:00p ET/7:00p PT | (Series: 1-1)
Thu Apr 13 – @ Seattle | 10:00p ET/7:00p PT
Breaking down the schedule…
The one thing about the Vegas Golden Knights this season is that no game can be safely assumed as an easy win. We know that much from the game against the Montreal Canadiens. Looking over the remaining schedule, there are 17 games left on the docket. A total of six are at home and 11 are on the road. The one caveat that we can see out of the remaining schedule is that after Saturday’s game against the Hurricanes, the Golden Knights will have seven straight games against teams that are not currently in playoff position.
Eight of the last 10 games involve five teams that are in the current playoff standings and six of the games are against three opponents in back to back games (Edmonton, Minnesota and Seattle). The more intriguing scenario that of the three teams that Bruce Cassidy’s squad plays in back to back situations, all could be likely first or second round playoff opponents.
Current Playoff Standings | Western Conference
Pacific Division
1. Golden Knights | 84 pts.
2. Kings | 84 pts. – 1 game
3. Kraken | 80 pts. – 2 games
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Central Division
1. Stars | 83 pts. – 1 game
2. Wild | 81 pts. – 2 games
3. Avalanche | 76 pts.
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Wild Card
1. Oilers | 80 pts. – 2 games
2. Jets | 75 pts
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3. Flames | 71 pts. – 2 games
4. Predators | 69 pts. – 1 game
The other way of seeing the remaining schedule, the Golden Knights still have games remaining against all but two that are either in the playoffs as of now or are in still in contention to make the playoffs in the West. If there is one thing that is certain, the remaining road towards the end of the regular season could have a bumpy ride that requires the seat belt.