LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Golden Knights ended 2025 and opened 2026 by losing eight of nine games, including five in regulation that denied Vegas even loser points.
And yet they remained at or near the top of the Pacific Division the entire time and entering Monday's play, the Golden Knights (21-11-12) were three points clear of the field.
Even with more losses than victories.
That's the state of the Pacific Division. Only third-place San Jose (23-19-3) had
more wins than losses. The Golden Knights (+8) were the only team with a positive scoring differential, and Edmonton (zero) was the only other club without a negative differential.
Every team at some point last week was underwater in point differential.
There are signs, however, the Golden Knights and Oilers are beginning to make their moves.
Vegas. which last year won its fourth division title in eight seasons, is on a four-game winning streak. The Oilers, who appeared in their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final in 2025, have five points in their past three games.
Edmonton, however, hasn't won three in a row this season, though coach Kris Knoblauch pointed out the Oilers haven't had a substantial losing streak, either.
“The teams in our division have kind of been hot and cold and right now they’re trending the right way,” Knoblauch said. “They’re starting to win more games. I think it’s going to take a lot more wins to win the division or (finish) higher up in our division, at least. We’re going to have to put together more than two wins at a time.”
While just six points separated the top five teams in the Pacific, Colorado led the Central by 12 points over second-place Dallas going into play Monday. The gap between the Avalanche and fifth-place Nashville is a whopping 27 points, while top to bottom in the Pacific is just 17.
“It’s an extremely tight division," Seattle coach Lane Lambert said. "There’s not much room for mistakes. We had a little bit of a tough run through December, but we’ve found a way to pick it up. But you’ve got to stay consistent. That’s a real key. We’re a good team, San Jose’s a good team, obviously Anaheim’s come on, so there’s a lot of good hockey teams in that division. Everybody’s battling it out every night.”
Which creates the opportunity for a number of teams. Just past the season's midpoint, one surge could send a team well into first place.
The Golden Knights and Kraken — 7-1-2 in their previous 10 games before Monday — are showing the clearest signs of making a move. But Seattle has three teams in front of them, including the Oilers, who often get hot late in the season.
Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said its recent skid has them thinking more day by day than focusing on the big picture, but acknowledged there is an opportunity for the Golden Knights to make a strong charge.
“We've been battling and battling, and it would be nice to take a step that way into our game quicker and longer and get on a run,” Cassidy said. “Quite honestly, we're used to doing that, so I hope our guys, that's their mindset.”
The Golden Knights could view their season to this point as a missed opportunity to not take advantage of the struggles of their divisional opponents. They have a league-high 12 overtime and shootout losses, so they could be even further ahead in the standings.
But Vegas also has dealt with injuries to players such as Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, William Karlsson and Adin Hill, so the Golden Knights could be chasing other teams at this point as well.
Now the Golden Knights, like their divisional rivals, face a 3 1/2-week sprint before a 19-day break in February for the Winter Olympic Games.
“It's definitely an opportunity for us to play some good hockey, especially with some other teams not playing up to the standard that they feel they can," Stone said. "We've got some divisional games coming up as well, so we're going to have to dig in and play some good hockey.”
The Oilers hope to do the same, but Knoblauch said it's not quite time for scoreboard watching.
“As the season wears on, by March and definitely by April, then you have a little more interest in what's going on," Knoblauch said. "But right now, it'll just wear you out.”
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AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.
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