You might think that a Vegas Golden Knights team that nearly lost to the San Jose Sharks would get some people concerned. That's entirely valid, especially since the Sharks don't have a win this season entering Thursday. However, that isn't a concern for NHL.com, which ranked the Golden Knights No.1 in their latest rankings with 234 points.
"What's not going right for the Golden Knights? Pavel Dorofeyev has seven goals in seven games and he is, at best, their fourth-best forward behind Jack Eichel, who has 16 points (six goals, 10 assists), and new addition Mitch Marner with 10 points (two goals, eight assists) and plus-9 in seven games. Forward Mark Stone (13 points; two goals, 11 assists in six games) is week to week with an upper-body injury and No. 1 goalie Adin Hill is week to week with a lower-body injury. Top defenseman Noah Hanifin has played one game and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is expected to miss the entire season. Yet, they are allowing less than three goals a game (2.71) and have a plus-11 goal differential. It's no wonder they have yet to lose in regulation."Shawn P. Roarke
That's a glowing endorsement for a team that needed some luck to win at San Jose. Still, they took down the Carolina Hurricanes handily on Monday, 4-1, ending their unbeaten season.
The Golden Knights edged out the Colorado Avalanche, who had 228 total points. The Avalanche, led by megastar Nathan MacKinnon, is 5-0-2 entering Thursday's game against said Hurricanes. Could they be the toughest adversary for the Golden Knights this season? Stay tuned.
Why the Vegas Golden Knights deserve to be No. 1 in the latest NHL.com rankings
Everything starts with Jack Eichel. The elite center led the NHL in points entering Saturday with 16. He is also tied for the fourth-most goals (six), establishing himself as one of the league's best players. Of course, he's not alone.
Mark Stone (13 points) was tied for second in points entering Thursday, while Pavel Dorofeyev was tied for first overall in goals (seven). All of this equals the league's best offensive attack (4.29 goals per game), making the Golden Knights a legitimate threat.
Let's not forget the other players involved. Everyone's favorite thespian, Mitch Marner, has 10 points. Ivan Barbashev has also picked it up with eight points (three goals and five assists). Tomas Hertl has seven points (three goals and four assists) this season, leading a dominant offensive attack.
That's not even mentioning how well the defensive unit has improved. Their last two games alone have seen dramatic improvement, with 41 blocked shots and two goals. Watch for the unit to grow throughout the 2025-26 season.
It's a tough decision between picking the Golden Knights and the Avalanche. Colorado has its own hodgepodge of weapons, including MacKinnon (six goals and four assists) and Martin Necas (five goals and six assists). Combined with improved goaltending (league-best 1.86 goals per game allowed) and it's easy to see why Colorado should be No. 1. However, the Golden Knights have the league's best offense, which is the deciding factor in everything.
It's good to be the king.