Vegas Golden Knights Power Ranking Update
By Evan Mead
The Vegs Golden Knights are in a perfect situation to really start taking off despite drawing the loss to the Edmonton Oilers two nights ago. Outside of the loss to the Edmonton Oilers and St. Louis Blues over the course of the last week and a half, the Knights have begun to really step up.
The disconnect between the Vegas Golden Knights and the players could’ve been the lack of talent in their lines, but I think it’s more likely that they were trying to find chemistry and consistency in their lines. That’s where the streak of four straight losses came into play.
During that four game losing streak, they seemed to lose at least one of their key players. However, players are now starting to return to the ice, and with that this team is starting to find ways to win once again.
The Vegas Golden Knights have really begun turning things around this season. More than that, they aren’t even scratching the surface to the team they can be. With players just now starting to find their way back to the ice, the Vegas Golden Knights can jump off the page against anyone in the league. But where do some websites have them ranked around the league, well let’s take a look.
Breakdown: The Vegas Golden Knights, according to ESPN, are the 18th best team in the National Hockey League. With that, the Knights are now ranked slightly below average. Although that is only one website, it’s a well known website that’s generally able to compile a pretty accurate list due to their connections around the league. Seeing the Vegas Golden Knights hold the spot at 18 after starting the season as one of the best, it’s not exactly what you’d like to hear.
Teams that are ahead of the Knights: Carolina Hurricanes, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche, Winnipeg Jets, Anaheim Ducks, St. Louis Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets, Boston Bruins, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers
Thoughts: Little Harsh.
Breakdown: The Vegas Golden Knights, as I stated above, struggled early on in the season after losing multiple key players. However, things started to click for them after that. It’s easy to overlook the good because of how bad they played for a little bit there. Obviously, based upon Sports Illustrated’s ranking, that wasn’t the case. Sports Illustrated had the Knights ranked as the ninth best team. That ranking puts them up with some very impressive teams.
Teams that are ahead of the Knights: Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins
Thoughts: Little generous but pretty close.
Breakdown: The Vegas Golden Knights so far have been ranked 18th, and 9th, so where does The Athletic have them? Well, they split the difference at 13. The Vegas Golden Knights have been very good over the course of this season, but haven’t quite performed to expectations and they’ve lost when facing competitive teams. That’s why I feel you can’t put them in the top 10 if you take out my biases. They are a very good team, but they need to find ways to win against the top teams in the league to establish yourself.
Teams that are ahead of the Knights: Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers