In just 10 seasons, the Vegas Golden Knights have become one of the NHL’s premier teams, advancing to the Stanley Cup Final three times and winning it all in 2023. En route to those many playoff victories, the first professional team in Las Vegas has made a few enemies along the way, building up some intense rivalries within the Pacific Division.
Outside of the restructured 2020-21 season, the Golden Knights have played many contests in the regular season and the playoffs against the same seven teams in the Pacific Division, producing the league’s fifth-best record at 401-224-76 since their inception. Today, we rank their best and worst rivalries in the Pacific Division.
7. Vancouver Canucks
Since the Golden Knights joined the league in 2017-18, they have had a one-sided rivalry with the Vancouver Canucks, dominating their 28 meetings with a 21-4-3 record. Despite qualifying for the playoffs just twice in the past ten seasons, Vancouver did take Vegas to Game 7 in their only playoff meeting back in the second round in 2020.
- Notable players in the rivalry include Ben Hutton and Nate Schmidt.
6. Anaheim Ducks
Just like the matchup with the Canucks, the Anaheim Ducks haven’t been competitive for quite some time, giving the Golden Knights plenty of opportunities to pad their stats through 38 meetings. Going into 2026, Vegas is 27-8-3 against their Southern California rivals. Last year, the two clubs met in the second round, with the Golden Knights advancing in six games.
- Notable players in the rivalry include William Karlsson and Shea Theodore.
5. Seattle Kraken
As the NHL’s newest expansion team, the Seattle Kraken get a bump up the list because of one game, the 2024 Winter Classic at T-Mobile Park. That day, the Kraken became an instant rival to the Golden Knights by blanking them 3-0 in the franchise’s second-ever outdoor appearance. Outside of that loss, Vegas is 13-3-3 in 19 regular-season meetings between the league’s two newest clubs.
- Notable players in the rivalry include Chandler Stephenson and Pierre-Édouard Bellemare.
4. Calgary Flames
When the Golden Knights entered the league, the Calgary Flames were a competitive team, even winning the Pacific Division crown in 2022. However, since then, they have tumbled down the standings and haven’t been a challenge for Vegas, which owns a 19-9-2 record in 30 games. The biggest reason for their place in the rivalry ranking is that so many big-name players have played for both sides, including Rasmus Andersson, Zach Whitecloud, and Noah Hanifin, among others.
3. Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings crack the top three because they have kept the Golden Knights honest through 10 seasons. In 40 meetings between the two teams, Vegas is only 21-15-6, but has bragging rights in the playoffs, thanks to a first-round sweep in 2017, the franchise’s first series win. On top of close games, the Kings usually finish as one of the top teams within the division, giving Vegas nervous moments down the stretch every year.
- Notable players in the rivalry include Jonathan Quick, Alec Martinez, and Brayden McNabb.
2. San Jose Sharks
In the regular season, the Golden Knights have dominated the San Jose Sharks to the tune of a 31-2-5 record in 38 meetings. However, the story is quite different in the playoffs. During Vegas’ first march to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017, San Jose took them to Game 6 before losing. One year later, in arguably the most memorable postseason game in franchise history, the Golden Knights lost Game 7 in overtime in the first round. Because so many wonder what could have been for Vegas that year, the Sharks, with the help of NHL officials, became public enemy number one.
- Notable players in the rivalry include Ryan Reaves, Tomáš Hertl, and Adin Hill.
1. Edmonton Oilers
Going into the 2026-27 season, the Edmonton Oilers are the only team in the Pacific Division with a winning record against the Golden Knights, since Vegas is just 12-14-4 in 30 meetings. So far, they have split their postseason matchups, with the Golden Knights winning a six-game series in 2023 before falling in five games in 2025. Since Vegas joined the Pacific Division, Edmonton has yet to win the top spot, often finishing second to Vegas, making every meeting all the more important.
- Notable players in the rivalry include James Neal, Mattias Janmark, and David Perron.
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