When you look at the 2025-26 Vegas Golden Knights, many bad adjectives can be used to describe them. That ranges from "terrible" to "awful" to even "mundane" or "mediocre." Heck, some fans have taken to more extreme forms to describe the Golden Knights.
I mean, a record of 29-21-14 would perfectly describe them here, so you're not wrong. One would assume that the Golden Knights would have terrible Stanley Cup playoff odds as a result.
But MoneyPuck had a different take to the Golden Knights. While their chances are dropping, the team still has favorable odds for the postseason. How much? We're talking about 84.5%.
Playoff chances as of Tuesday https://t.co/RbnckCLHNP pic.twitter.com/D898sL1pKG
— MoneyPuck.com (@MoneyPuckdotcom) March 10, 2026
Yes, that comes in the form of a terrible Pacific Division that can't produce a whole team. That also comes with the caveat of having 3.8% Stanley Cup odds. However, it's a promising sign for Golden Knights fans who've used terrible adjectives to describe the team's odds.
I mean, anything can happen in the Stanley Cup playoffs. You can have an incredible run and shock the entire world. Just look at the 2011-2012 Los Angeles Kings as an example or even... the 2017-18 Vegas Golden Knights.
Still, the Vegas Golden Knights must do something they don't like doing: beat playoff-position teams
As mentioned, the good news for Vegas is that the Pacific Division is having a down year. Every team has its share of glaring problems, with some having all sorts of issues. That could mean a deep run while the three-headed monster in the Central Division beats up on each other. Still, that means beating teams in playoff position.
That has been easier said than done this season. The Golden Knights only have six wins against teams currently in playoff position this season, which is massively underwhelming. In fact, they don't have a single win against a team in playoff position from the Pacific Division. Yikes.
So what better way to get his monkey off your back than by beating teams like the Seattle Kraken and the Edmonton Oilers? Believe it or not, these two teams are beatable. The Kraken won't score many goals (24th in the NHL entering Tuesday with 2.84 goals per game), while the Oilers have goaltending and defensive problems known across the globe.
The Golden Knights have four combined chances against these two teams, with the dates falling on the following days.
- March 26: vs. Edmonton
- April 4: @Edmonton
- April 9: @Seattle
- April 15: vs. Seattle
Of course, there are also opportunities against teams like the Colorado Avalanche (April 11), the Dallas Stars (March 22), and the Utah Mammoth (March 19). But the premise remains clear: beat playoff position teams.
Otherwise, the Golden Knights will have a 0% chance to make the Stanley Cup playoffs. It'll only be the second time in franchise history that they've missed the playoffs, along with the infamous 2021-22 season.
Of course, you can think of one word that would describe the Golden Knights against teams in playoff position this season.
Yeah. Sounds about right. Let's hope that they can salvage something against the competition.