Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025 | 2 a.m.
Positive momentum accompanies the Golden Knights as they return for their first stretch of games off a two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
Vegas won back-to-back games right before the season paused for the first time in a month, defeating the New Jersey Devils 3-1 and the Boston Bruins 4-1. Both were on the road for the Golden Knights’ first winning streak away from home since November and helped leave behind the frustration for having previously lost 10 of their last 13 games.
Now the tricky part comes with maintaining the form for the final third of the season and not falling into the habits that had them slipping in the standings.
Here are five reasons to believe Vegas could do it and reach its potential as a bona fide threat to notch its fourth Pacific Division title and third Stanley Cup Final appearance in franchise history.
Petro fuel
The 4 Nations Face-Off drew rave reviews far and wide. Some of the only people who may not have enjoyed the “best-on-best” international event might have been Golden Knights’ fans and front-office employees.
That’s because the tournament came at the cost of top defenseman Shea Theodore, who hurt his arm in Team Canada’s first game against Sweden. The injury has since been described as leaving him out on a “week-to-week” basis.
The biggest saving grace is that fellow Vegas blue-liner Alex Pietrangelo was the only player out of more than 90 selected to participate in the 4 Nations Face-Off to voluntarily withdraw. Pietrangelo had an undisclosed ailment, and said he needed the time off.
“It worked out well,” he said. “I got some good dad time, too. It was more important (to stay in Vegas). We were on the road, so it was nice to spend some time with family, take a little break and reset.”
Theodore had overtaken Pietrangelo as Vegas’ most relied-upon defender, leading the team in ice time, this season but it hasn’t always been that way. Pietrangelo largely carried the Golden Knights through stretches of the last two seasons when Theodore was out with other injuries and now will have to do so again. The 35-year-old, two-time Stanley Cup champion should be more than capable, especially with the rest and recovery he opted to take.
Depth pieces
Theodore was in the midst of a career season with 48 points in 55 games to draw some darkhorse buzz for the Norris Trophy, the award given to the league’s best defenseman. But the Golden Knights are still in a decent position to absorb his absence because of the depth the organization has built throughout the blue line.
They’ve been carrying eight defenseman all year with Kaeden Korczak and Ben Hutton having only played in a combined 23 games but now more than ready to plug into the active lineup.
“It’s been kind of unfortunate (so far) as a coach because you have to tell two guys they can’t play,” Golden Knights assistant coach John Stevens said. “I can tell you firsthand that Kaedan Korczak and Ben Hutton have been unbelievable in terms of attitude, work ethic and trying to stay ready, so we have the full confidence that those guys can step in and help us.”
Theodore had been playing in the second pairing alongside Brayden McNabb. Zach Whitecloud will likely move up into that spot, with Korczak or Hutton filling the void left by him with Nicolas Hague on the third pairing.
Expect to see both of them at different times while Theodore is out, and perhaps even a new face. Theodore’s injury increases the chances of Vegas living up to its reputation as a trade-deadline buyer.
It already had more than $3 million in cap space but that could increase if Theodore is moved to long-term injured reserve.
Vegas has already technically been active in adding to the team, acquiring veteran Brandon Saad from the St. Louis Blues on waivers in late January.
Eichel’s time
Three Golden Knights picked up gold medals as members of Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off—Theodore, forward Mark Stone and goalie Adin Hill. But to no surprise, it was Team USA’s Jack Eichel who had the best individual showing.
The 28-year-old rated as the 12th best player in the tournament by net rating with four assists in four games. The Tkachuk brothers—the Florida Panthers’ Matthew and the Ottawa Senators’ Brady—were considered the mainstream American breakout stars of the tournament, but Eichel set them both up for goals.
That’s not a surprise to anyone who’s watched Vegas closely this year as the center’s playmaking has been among the best in the NHL. He was fourth in the league at the break with 50 assists.
There’s no reason to think that should slow now, as Vegas is healthy in the forward group. Theodore might have been the Golden Knights’ second most valuable player, but Eichel stands alone at the top with the season he’s putting together.
December form
The Golden Knights transcending into one of the best teams in the league isn’t a far-fetched pipe dream; there’s proof of concept from this season.
Vegas emerged as a primary contender for the President’s Trophy, given to the team with the highest regular-season point total, next to the Winnipeg Jets and Washington Capitals in December when it went 10-2 with a six-game win streak.
The tear fell apart from there with a .500 January and poor start to February that included two four-game losing streaks and a 1-5-1 record against the Eastern Conference.
But confidence never waned. Coach Bruce Cassidy described the Golden Knights as “close” to getting back to their top level before the break, and has expressed a belief in his “veteran group” working through their issues.
All seasons contain ebbs and flows, and the Golden Knights believe their true level is closer to what they showed at the end of 2024.
Underdog mentality
The Golden Knights are around 10-to-1 to win the Stanley Cup Final at most sports books, ranking as high as the seventh-likeliest team. They prefer being perceived as more in the middle of the pack than at the top.
Defying the odds is ingrained in the franchise’s identity, dating all the way back to its inaugural season when it reached the Stanley Cup Final after being as high as 100-to-1 to get there.
The Golden Knights had been at the top of the Pacific for most of the season, but entered the break behind the Edmonton Oilers in terms of points percentage. They were also nine points behind the Jets for the top seed in the Western Conference.
But Vegas isn’t running from any challenge.
This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.