The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey franchise located in Las Vegas, Nevada. Founded ahead of the 2017–18 season as an expansion team, they play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Hockey League (NHL).[1][2] The franchise plays its home games at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada.[3][4] The 2024–25 NHL season marks the franchise's 8th season of operation. As of the conclusion of the 2023–24 season, the Golden Knights have won 312 regular-season games, the third-fewest in the NHL;[5][6] in 2023–24, however, they became the fastest expansion franchise in NHL history to reach 300 wins.[7]
Noted for their early success as a franchise, the Golden Knights have qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs six times in their seven completed seasons, with three Pacific Division championships, two Stanley Cup Finals appearances, and a Stanley Cup championship in 2023.[6] During their inaugural season in 2017–18, the Golden Knights broke the NHL records for most wins and points in an inaugural season and became the first franchise since the 1967–68 St. Louis Blues to reach the Finals in their inaugural season;[8][9][10] however, they ultimately lost the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals to the Washington Capitals in five games.[11] After suffering a first-round exit against the San Jose Sharks in 2019,[12] the Golden Knights returned to the Western Conference Finals in the COVID-19 pandemic-affected 2020 playoffs, falling in five games to the Dallas Stars.[13] During the pandemic-shortened 2020–21 season, the Golden Knights were temporarily placed in the single-season West Division;[14] after finishing second behind the Colorado Avalanche,[15] the Golden Knights again fell one round short of the Stanley Cup Finals, losing to the Montreal Canadiens in six games in a re-aligned Stanley Cup Semifinals.[16] Despite entering the following 2021–22 season as Stanley Cup favorites,[17][18] the Golden Knights suffered a rash of injuries and poor play, eventually missing the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.[19] In their sixth season, the team rebounded, winning the Pacific Division for the first time since 2020 and defeating the Florida Panthers in five games in the Stanley Cup Finals to win their first Stanley Cup,[20] becoming the fastest expansion team to win the Cup in NHL history.[21] The Golden Knights' championship defense in 2023–24 began with the longest season-opening winning streak of any defending champion in NHL history, as they began the season 7–0–0;[22] however, the team struggled later in the season,[23] qualifying for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs as a wild card and losing to the Dallas Stars in the first round in seven games.[24]
Table key
edit
| Color/symbol | Explanation |
|---|---|
| † | Stanley Cup champions |
| ‡ | Conference champions |
| ↑ | Division champions |
| # | Led league in points |
| Term or abbreviation | Definition |
|---|---|
| Finish | Final position in division or league standings |
| GP | Number of games played |
| W | Number of wins |
| L | Number of losses |
| OT | Number of losses in overtime or shootouts |
| Pts | Number of points |
| GF | Goals for (goals scored by the Golden Knights) |
| GA | Goals against (goals scored by the Golden Knights' opponents) |
| — | Does not apply |
Year by year
edit| NHL season[6] | Golden Knights season | Conference | Division | Regular season | Postseason[a] | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | GP | W | L | OT[b] | Pts | GF | GA | GP | W | L | GF | GA | Result | ||||
| 2017–18 | 2017–18 | Western‡ | Pacific↑ | 1st | 82 | 51 | 24 | 7 | 109 | 272 | 228 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 57 | 47 | Won in first round, 4–0 (Kings) Won in second round, 4–2 (Sharks) Won conference finals, 4–1 (Jets) Lost in Stanley Cup Finals, 1–4 (Capitals) |
| 2018–19 | 2018–19 | Western | Pacific | 3rd | 82 | 43 | 32 | 7 | 93 | 249 | 230 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 25 | 23 | Lost in first round, 3–4 (Sharks) |
| 2019–20 | 2019–20 | Western | Pacific↑ | 1st | 71[c] | 39 | 24 | 8 | 86 | 227 | 211 | 20 | 12 | 8 | 57 | 44 | Finished first in seeding round-robin (3–0) Won in first round, 4–1 (Blackhawks) Won in second round, 4–3 (Canucks) Lost in conference finals, 1–4 (Stars) |
| 2020–21 | 2020–21 | — | West | 2nd | 56[d] | 40 | 14 | 2 | 82 | 191 | 124 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 53 | 46 | Won in first round, 4–3 (Wild) Won in second round, 4–2 (Avalanche) Lost in Stanley Cup semifinals, 2–4 (Canadiens) |
| 2021–22 | 2021–22 | Western | Pacific | 4th | 82 | 43 | 31 | 8 | 94 | 266 | 248 | — | — | — | — | — | Did not qualify |
| 2022–23 | 2022–23 | Western‡ | Pacific↑ | 1st | 82 | 51 | 22 | 9 | 111 | 272 | 229 | 22 | 16 | 6 | 88 | 57 | Won in first round, 4–1 (Jets) Won in second round, 4–2 (Oilers) Won in conference finals, 4–2 (Stars) Won in Stanley Cup Finals, 4–1 (Panthers)† |
| 2023–24 | 2023–24 | Western | Pacific | 4th | 82 | 45 | 29 | 8 | 98 | 267 | 245 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 16 | Lost in first round, 3–4 (Stars) |
| 2024–25 | 2024–25 | Western | Pacific | ||||||||||||||
| Totals[e] | 537 | 312 | 176 | 49 | 673 | 1,744 | 1,515 | 95 | 57 | 38 | 296 | 233 | 6 playoff appearances | ||||
All-time records
edit| Statistic | GP | W | L | OT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season record (2017–present) | 537 | 312 | 176 | 49 | |
| Postseason record (2017–present) | 95 | 57 | 38 | — | |
| All-time regular and postseason record | 632 | 369 | 214 | 49 | |
| All-time series record: 11–5 | |||||
Notes
edit- ^ The result of the playoff series shows the Golden Knights' result first regardless of the outcome, followed by the opposing team in parentheses.
- ^ Overtime and shootout losses are worth one point.
- ^ The 2019–20 NHL season was suspended on March 12, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- ^ The 2020–21 NHL season was shortened to 56 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- ^ Totals as of the completion of the 2023–24 season
References
edit- ^ "Introducing the Vegas Golden Knights". Vegas Golden Knights. November 22, 2016. Archived from the original on July 4, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
- ^ Rosen, Dan (June 22, 2016). "Las Vegas awarded NHL franchise". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on April 15, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
- ^ Keefer, Case (August 2, 2016). "T-Mobile Arena's public preview of hockey setup awes fans". Las Vegas Sun. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
- ^ McGregor, Gilbert (September 6, 2024). "Where is the NBA In-Season Tournament played? Location, capacity and more to know about T-Mobile Arena". The Sporting News. Archived from the original on September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
- ^ a b "Team Index". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on September 17, 2024. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Vegas Golden Knights Season-by-Season Record". records.nhl.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2024. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- ^ Boorse, Rachel (February 27, 2024). "Vegas Secures 300th Franchise Win with 6-2 Defeat of Toronto". nhl.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ "Golden Knights set expansion team record for wins in debut season". ESPN. February 2, 2018. Archived from the original on February 2, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
- ^ "Tuch gets tiebreaker in 2nd, Golden Knights beat Flames 7–3". ESPN. February 21, 2018. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- ^ "Golden Knights advance to Stanley Cup Final, eliminate Jets in Game 5". National Hockey League. May 20, 2018. Archived from the original on March 6, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
- ^ "Capitals capture 1st Stanley Cup with 4–3 win over Golden Knights". abc7.com. June 7, 2018. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ Satriano, David (April 23, 2019). "Sharks rally for OT win against Golden Knights in Game 7". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ Satriano, David (September 15, 2020). "Stars defeat Golden Knights in OT in Game 5, reach Stanley Cup Final". NHL.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ "NHL teams in new divisions for 2020-21 season". NHL.com. December 20, 2020. Archived from the original on December 23, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ "Colorado Avalanche clinch Presidents' Trophy, West Division title". SportsNet.ca. May 13, 2021. Archived from the original on December 7, 2024. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- ^ Brehm, Mike (June 25, 2021). "Canadiens defeat Golden Knights in overtime in Game 6, reach first Stanley Cup Final since 1993". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 24, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ "Stanley Cup predictions for 2021-22 NHL season". nhl.com. October 9, 2021. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ^ Spiegel, Jackie (October 11, 2021). "NHL predictions 2021-22: Final standings, awards, playoff projections, Stanley Cup pick". Sporting News. Archived from the original on December 24, 2024. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ^ Granger, Jesse (April 28, 2022). "Golden Knights miss the playoffs for the first time: What went wrong and how can they fix it?". The Athletic. Archived from the original on December 24, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ Rosen, Dan (June 13, 2023). "Golden Knights win Stanley Cup with Game 5 victory against Panthers". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L. P. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ Butler, Alex (June 14, 2023). "Golden Knights become fastest NHL expansion team to win Stanley Cup". UPI. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ Miles, Bruce (October 22, 2023). "Golden Knights overcome Bedard goal, top Blackhawks to stay undefeated". nhl.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- ^ Delos Santos, Paul (March 8, 2024). "Canucks hand slumping Golden Knights another loss". NHL.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
- ^ Delos Santos, Paul (May 6, 2024). "Golden Knights eliminated from playoffs after failing to capitalize at home". NHL.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.