Reinforcements Are Coming for the Vegas Golden Knights

Logan Thompson did everything he could, keeping the Vegas Golden Knights afloat as the No. 1 goalie. That led to a Third Star earned for his hard work, regaining his confidence in the process. Adin Hill returned and took it from there.

Nicolas Roy did everything he could, earning himself heavy consideration for being on the Golden Knights' top line. The native of Amos, Quebec, tallied 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 13 games in January, showcasing his evolution as a hockey player. William Karlsson just got activated from LTIR and should return on February 6 against Edmonton.

Jonathan Marchessault did everything he could, leading Vegas out of its fiery depths. The Conn Smythe winner has 16 goals and 10 assists in his last 26 games, making him the hot hand for the Knights. Jack Eichel had successful lower-body surgery a couple of weeks ago and should be back before the season's end.

About a month ago, all seemed lost with the Vegas Golden Knights. Injuries were piling up and the Pacific Division was tightening up. It seemed like it would be time before Vegas would fall out of a playoff spot, a la 2021-2022... or so it seemed.

2. Why the Vegas Golden Knights Healing Up Matters

The Edmonton Oilers are coming in red-hot, rattling off 16 straight victories before the All-Star Break. What's more, Edmonton has played five fewer games than the Vegas Golden Knights. Now it isn't expected that the Oilers will win the rest of their games. After all, that'd be an impossible feat. However, winning with a depleted roster has given Vegas some wiggle room in the standings.

It also helps that the Los Angeles Kings COMPLETELY fell off the face of the earth. I'm talking about only winning two of your last 16 games. That sort of catastrophic collapse has given the Knights more breathing room in the playoff standings. It's also given teams like the Seattle Kraken new life, leaving them only two points back.

With Vegas getting the most out of their hodge-podge squad, keeping the team standing has worked wonders for them in the playoff hunt. Now, they can focus on getting home-ice advantage for the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Believe me when I say T-Mobile Arena isn't a friendly place to be this year: The Golden Knights have a home record of 18-5-2 in 2023-2024.

3. Why It Doesn't Matter

There's one team ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights in the Pacific Division, and that's the Vancouver Canucks. Standing tall with 71 points, the 'Nucks are tied atop the NHL standings. They look to have an iron grip on the Pacific, meaning they'll potentially get home-ice advantage throughout the Western Conference side of the playoffs.

While the Golden Knights are returning key players at the right time, it's important to remember that Vancouver is also playing their best hockey right now. It's no secret they're one of the best offensive teams in the NHL, scoring 186 goals this season (second-most). That also comes with having the biggest point differential at +59, where they've also blown out the competition.

It isn't just Vancouver that can be a problem. The Colorado Avalanche, led by Nathan MacKinnon, is always a tough matchup for the Golden Knights despite the earlier 7-0 blowout in the year. With an array of scorers on each line, the Avs can make life difficult even if Vegas is at full strength. That's especially true if Vegas has to go on the road, where they're 11-10-4 this season. Keep in mind that Colorado is 20-5 at Ball Arena this season, making them a difficult matchup if these two meet up in the playoffs.

Still, having key players return is important for the Vegas Golden Knights. No longer are they relying on half of the Henderson Silver Knights roster. Now, they can play at full strength and make another run at the Stanley Cup. Watch out, NHL!