The Vegas Golden Knights celebrate their overtime win against the Chicago Blackhawks during an NHL hockey game at T-Mobile Arena Saturday, March 26, 2022. A goal by Vegas Golden Knights right wing Evgenii Dadonov (63) gave the Golden Knights a 5-4 win over the Blackhawks.
Tuesday, April 5, 2022 | 10:26 a.m.
The playoffs are suddenly feasible for the Golden Knights.
Thanks to a five-game winning streak and securing wins in seven of their last nine outings, Vegas is firmly back in the playoff hunt with 11 games remaining. They’ll have a chance to secure a season-high six-game winning streak Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks (7 p.m., ATTSN-RM).
Things were spiraling downward in mid-March. Coming off of a five-game losing streak, Vegas was two spots behind the second wild-card position in the Western Conference, behind the Dallas Stars and Canucks.
Since then, the Golden Knights have outscored opponents 32-18 and have earned wins against playoff contenders Florida, Los Angeles and Nashville.
As of Monday, the Golden Knights were tied with the Nashville Predators at 82 points for the top wild-card position, with the Stars trailing at 81. The key is games in hand. Dallas and Nashville have played three fewer games than Vegas, which has Vegas (.577) trailing the Predators (.603) and Stars (.596) in terms of points percentage.
“Teams around us aren’t losing,” Vegas coach Pete DeBoer said.
The best-case scenario for the Golden Knights is to get a top-three spot in the Pacific Division, but their division counterparts have made that avenue difficult. The Edmonton Oilers are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games and have a three-point lead on Vegas while playing one fewer game. The Kings have a four-point cushion with 11 games remaining.
“Every game is competitive in this league. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing,” center Jack Eichel said. “You’ve just got to take care of business every night. We know the position that we’re in, but we can only control so much. Just get two points every night.”
Division games are paramount
The next 10 days are going to determine what role the Golden Knights play during this postseason charge. Four of their next five games are against division opponents — two against Vancouver, one in Calgary and another in Edmonton. The two Vancouver games and a home game Saturday against Arizona are winnable.
Vegas needs to win at least one of its Alberta games — primarily against the Oilers — to consider this stretch successful. Anything short of that would sway the destiny out of their hands.
When the Golden Knights return from their Western Canada road trip, they’ll play their final three home games: two against non-playoff teams (New Jersey and San Jose), and a 2018 Final rematch with a Capitals team fighting for its own playoff positioning.
Goaltending needs to stay hot
Logan Thompson may have saved the Golden Knights’ season.
Last year’s AHL Goalie of the Year went 5-2-0 in seven starts while filling in for the injured Robin Lehner and Laurent Brossoit. Had it not been for Thompson, Vegas wouldn’t be in this situation.
Since that March 17 game against the Panthers, Thompson leads the NHL with six wins, and his .934 save percentage is tied for third best among goalies who have made at least five starts.
“This is exciting hockey, and we’re in must-win games,” Thompson said. “I’m really thankful for the opportunity. It’s really fun for me and I’m soaking it all in.”
How DeBoer deploys the goalies might be the biggest on-ice storyline in this final month. Lehner made 26 saves on Sunday in Vegas’ 3-2 win in Vancouver, his first start since March 8 due to a lower-body injury. Does DeBoer trust the veteran, or try to get the most out of the hot hand?
“It’s a huge luxury. We wouldn’t be in the playoff battle without [Thompson] coming in and doing what he’s done,” DeBoer said. “Every time we can put him in there, it buys us another day for Robin Lehner to get more comfortable.”
Return of veteran defensemen paying dividends
The returns of Alec Martinez and Brayden McNabb could arguably be more important than that of Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty or Reilly Smith.
Martinez returned March 26 after missing 53 games due to a facial laceration, and McNabb was back Wednesday after missing 13 games due to a hand injury. Their presence has given the blue line its healthiest look in months, despite Nic Hague (week-to-week) being sidelined.
“Defensively, we’ve been better, but that coincides with the return of our veteran defensemen,” DeBoer said. “Those guys made a huge difference. Our team has benefitted from the return of those guys.”
McNabb’s physicality was missed, but his defense-first mentality is crucial to Vegas’ success. McNabb blocked a team-high seven shots out of the Golden Knights’ 19 in Vancouver on Sunday.
Martinez is starting to see an uptick in ice time. After playing 13:48 in his return against Chicago, Martinez has hit over 18 minutes in the last three games. More minutes could be coming now that he’s back on the power play after skating for 1:16 on the power play Sunday.
“Getting ‘Nabber’ and ‘Marty’ back is huge for us,” Thompson said. “They’ve been out for a while, and they’ve been playing great.”
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
